A low number of citizens responding to voluntarily registering their dangerous or vicious animals has the Columbus Police Department planning to take different measures.
According to CPD Capt. Fred Shelton, since Jan. 11, less than 20 people have voluntarily registered their animals that are defined as vicious or dangerous animals in an ordinance on animal control passed by the Columbus City Council in 2008. Shelton is the city”s animal control supervisor.
Jan. 11 was the first day citizens could start bringing their animals to the Columbus-Lowndes Animal Control office, located in the former Maxxim Medical plant off Highway 69.
“We are looking to take different measures to get people to comply with this. One is we are going to have our police officers when they are out on regular patrol to go by the homes of people who have these animals who are considered dangerous or vicious to get them registered so they can be in compliance. This will be an on-site registration. We will give them time to comply and get their animals registered,” he said.
Shelton added that according to the ordinance, if they fail to comply within a few days, they will be fined $50 for the first offense, $75 for the second and $100 for a following offense.
According to the ordinance, a vicious or dangerous animal is, “any animal that attacks or bites humans or other domestic animals or otherwise jeopardizes the well-being of humans or other domestic animals shall be a vicious or dangerous animal.”
Shelton said if people fail to comply with the request to get them registered could also face getting fines or even forfeiting their animals to Columbus-Lowndes animal control officers.
“We can fine them only so many times, and each time people do not comply with registering, we can legally take a step to start procedures to forfeit the animals. The municipal judge has given us that step,” he said.
Shelton hopes it does not come to people having to forfeit their animals.
“We want to give people the chance to get their animals registered and in compliance,” he said.
Allen Baswell was previously a reporter for The Dispatch.
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