Elkins takes step to end stray animal problem
Posted on Thursday, January 24, 2008
Elkins officials have found a way to leash the city's stray dog problem.
City employees can start taking strays to the Fayetteville Animal Shelter now that the Elkins City Council has agreed to sign an agreement with the shelter. The vote took place Jan. 17.
The agreement allows Elkins city employees to drop off stray dogs and cats for $ 75 each, said Jill Hatfield, shelter director.
Elkins became the seventh town to contract with Fayetteville. It joins Farmington, Elm Springs, Winslow, Greenland, Goshen and Tontitown. It also is contracted with Washington County Animal Control.
Elkins Mayor Jack Ladyman said he's pretty happy his city finally has an option when it comes to dealing with menacing mutts.
"In the past if we had an animal that was a real problem, there was nothing we could do about it," he said.
Ladyman referred to a time last summer when a dog took up residence under a city-owned trailer. The dog stayed there several weeks and evaded capture several times, he said.
"That was a classic example of our problem," he said. "Now we have a place to take the strays if we catch them, so we can actually get help from Washington County (Animal Control )."
The council was spurred about a month ago when citizens wrote to the mayor about packs of dogs roaming subdivisions. The author of the letter told Ladyman that the dogs chased cars and pedestrians, tore up trash bags and spread the contents around people's lawns, trampled flower beds, and damaged a lot of personal property.
Ladyman said dogs forming packs is scary, but it's a true story in Elkins.
"Part of that is the owners not controlling animals," he said.
For that reason, Ladyman said the contract with Fayetteville is only the starting point to curb a stray animal problem in Elkins.
"Next thing we're going to do is look at an animal ordinance," he said.
The council would examine ideas like leash laws and licensing laws as part of that ordinance, and it would hopefully put an end to the roaming pets and strays that are causing problems, he said.
"We might even look into hiring a part-time animal control officer," Ladyman said.
Elkins police officers currently are in charge of catching the strays.
Ladyman said the officers would only get the ones that are being a major nuisance and that they would not be patrolling for strays.
Elkins officials drafted an animal ordinance in the past, he said, but it didn't work because the city had no way of enforcing it.
Now that the city has contracted with Fayetteville, Elkins is set to take the next step. Ladyman just wants the council to take its time and do it right.
"We don't want to do this halfway," he said. "We want to have a quality ordinance."
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