Goshen to talk about keeping dogs in back yards

[IceyBlueSibes]

Goshen to talk about keeping dogs in back yards

By Melissa Gagliardi
The Courier-Journal


Two years ago, a child was attacked in Goshen by a dog kept in a front yard.

An invisible fence was used to keep the dog in the yard, but it didn’t keep the 6-year-old child out, said Barbara Rosenman, director of Oldham County Animal Control.

Now, the Goshen City Commission is considering an ordinance that would require pet owners to keep their dogs in back yards. And Rosenman supports the proposal.

Several residents have complained about neighbors keeping “vicious” dogs in their front yards, said City Clerk Joyce Morphew. She said she knows of two pit bulls and two Rottweilers that people have complained about.

The ordinance, which the Goshen City Commission will consider on Monday, does not mention specific breeds.

Basically, the city wants dogs kept in back yards unless they are on a leash and in the owner’s control. Dogs would be allowed in front yards only if they are with someone who is capable of restraining them.

Residents who violate the ordinance could be fined $25 a day.

Alysha Blanton called the proposed ordinance an infringement on the rights of dog owners. She has an invisible fence and lets her two dogs, a Great Dane-Labrador retriever mix and a Doberman mix, roam her front yard on Harmony Landing Road.

“It’s not fair to them. They’re both big dogs and if I’m home they should be able to be out,” Blanton said. “They’re good dogs.”

She then pointed out that Oldham County doesn’t even have a leash law, making the ordinance all the more absurd. Plus, she hasn’t been able to erect a fence around her back yard because of drainage problems in the area, she said.

Morphew said she has fielded one call from a resident who opposes the ordinance and she expects more opponents to attend Monday night’s meeting.

Rosenman said she will be at Monday’s meeting to learn more about the residents’ complaints and help educate the public about animal safety.

Invisible fences cannot be relied on to keep dogs in yards or trespassers out, she said. One problem with them, for instance, is that the batteries in the dog’s collar can get low or die.

Also, a dog with thick fur may not feel the shock, and some dogs will simply take the shock to leave the yard, but then may be too fearful to return, she said.

Tying a dog up also won’t necessarily keep a child from getting hurt. In the case two years ago when the 6-year-old was bit on the back of the leg, the child may have been trespassing, but couldn’t be expected to know such laws, Rosenman said.

“Nobody was really at fault, but a child was hurt,” she said.