Scottsboro approves new Animal Control Ordinance

Clarion Top News

Wednesday, 02 October 2024 10:46

Scottsboro City Council members recently approved a new Animal Control Ordinance.
The Ordinance comes after complaints were heard regarding dogs being tied up during extreme heat with no water or adequate shelter. One resident reported that she contacted Animal Control but was told nothing could be done.

The new ordinance allows for fines of up to $500 and a jail sentence of up to 30 days for any person found guilty of not abiding by the following:
“The owner or person in charge of any dog or cat who fails to keep said animal from running at large.

In addition, when a dog is not in the presence of its owner or person in charge, it must also be kept under effective confinement as set forth in this section, and it shall be unlawful for the owner or person in charge of the dog to fail to do so. Proof that a dog is not so kept shall be prima facie evidence of a violation. Competent evidence that the failure was occasioned by an unforeseeable and independent act of a third person shall shift the burden to the city to prove otherwise.b. A dog is effectively confined under this section if the dog is not running at large, the dog is confined in an enclosure, the confinement of which does not violate any provision of state or local law, and the confinement does not violate any of the following:
(1) The enclosure must provide a minimum of 225 square feet (with neither the width or length being less than ten (feet) for each dog weighing 30 pounds or more, and 100 square feet (with neither the width or length being less than eight (feet) for each dog weighing less than 30 pounds.
(2) The enclosure shall be sufficiently constructed as to keep such enclosed dog from contact with outside dogs and people and shall have an area sufficient to allow such dog reasonable exercise. The enclosure shall also permit reasonable protection from the weather, including shade during the summer.
(3) Dogs shall not be tied, chained or placed on a line in a manner that presents a hazard to themselves or to the general public.
(4) The dog is not kept in an area of dangerous or unsanitary conditions, including but not limited to, excessive animal waste, garbage, dirty water, dangerous objects that could injure or kill the dog upon contact, or other circumstances that could cause harm to the dog’s physical health.
(5) The dog is kept in a structurally sound, moisture-proof and wind-proof shelter large enough to keep the dog clean and dry. A shelter that does not protect the dog from extreme temperatures or participation, or which does not provide adequate ventilation or drainage, shall not comply with this subsection.
(6) An invisible fence may be used to satisfy or part of the enclosure requirements of this section. As used herein, “invisible fence” is a system, in good working order, that uses a wireless receiver in the dog’s collar along with an electric stimulus, to prevent the dog from leaving the defined area of closure.”
The full ordinance can be read on page 13 of this issue.