New Animal Control Ordinance Proposed For Dearborn Co.

By Mike Perleberg (Dearborn County, Ind.) - Dearborn County citizens have the chance to review a proposed new animal control ordinance before county commissioners vote on it. County commissioners asked for a rewrite of the ordinance. A 27-page draft was presented by county attorney Andrew Baudendistel on Tuesday, April 15. “We tried to craft a functional ordinance that can be enforced with the resources (the Animal Control Officers) that we have available to us,” Baudendistel said. The revised ordinance would remove a blanket statement that pitbulls are vicious dogs. Instead, it would classify a vicious dog as one that has attacked a human or other animal. They will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis, said Baudendistel. As has been county rule, dogs must be licensed by their owners when they reach four months of age. Licenses would cost $6 for each fixed dog, or $11 for each un-fixed dog. The only case in which a dog wouldn’t need an individual license is if the owner runs a kennel and pays $50 for a permit to do so. There is also a new provision dealing with feral cats, which is not been addressed in the current county code. Under the proposal, Dearborn County Animal Control would be allowed to humanely trap and spay or neuter such cats captured by a licensed veterinarian. Those sterilized cats would be identified by having their left ear tipped. Another aspect would require exotic animals to have proper paperwork from state or federal authorities. The draft ordinance can be read at www.DearbornCounty.org. Dearborn County Commissioners could vote to adopt the ordinance at their meeting on Tuesday, May 20.