The pet ‘divide’
Dear editor:
Hot Springs Animal Services has a very difficult job of collecting stray animals along the “divide” areas where the only way to determine where the county begins and the city ends is the color of the trash cans. Many county residents who are a few feet from city residents allow their animals to roam free, which frustrates and infuriates the city residents. Those county residents claim that no leash law exists and enjoy dangerous activities such as discharging firearms at all hours, obnoxious behavior, letting animals roam and burning unknown material.
The Humane Society of Garland County, a nonprofit, will collect captured animals, and the city says it will respond 24/7 to city calls, although we know this is not the case. The city also will not respond in the “divide” because they do not know where the city ends and the county begins or the animals owner resides in the county and the offending animals retreat across the street or next door back into the county.
Holding the animal owner responsible for their pets’ behavior is the simplest answer. A county code that if you live within 1 mile of the “divide” you must adhere to a city animal code tailored for the county. It will be necessary to put teeth in the code with fines and penalties. How to administer and enforce the program will be manifested by the county judge.
Most people do not understand the problem with strays desecrating a neighbor’s yard beside terrorizing pets on a run or in pens, destroying property/lawns, or defecating where children play or leashed animals live. The CDC at http://cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/dogs.html shows that over 20 bacterial and biological diseases can be transferred to humans from dogs including: Lyme, mange, MRSA, plague, ringworm, hookworm, roundworm, rabies, tapeworm, brucellosis, Capnocytophaga, Cryptosporidosis, echinococcosis, Ehrlichosis, Giardiasis, and more including tick, flea, mite and other parasite infections.
Many of these diseases will cause illnesses that mimic common ailments but will worsen despite OTC or medication until the patient is hospitalized or dies.
Michael Jones Sr. Hot Springs