Animal Ordinance On Agenda For Adoption

PRAIRIE GROVE — An ordinance to expand Prairie Grove’s animal control ordinance will be considered on its third and final reading by Prairie Grove City Council at its meeting at 7 p.m. Monday, July 20.

The nine- page ordinance is recommended by Prairie Grove police officer Travis Stills, who also serves as the city’s animal control officer. Stills presented ideas for the new ordinance at a council meeting in the spring and council members suggested changes and recommendations before considering a final version.

Stills said one of the main reasons for updating Prairie Grove’s animal control measures is to use a city ordinance to help

educate pet owners about proper care of animals. The ordinance will allow police to issue city citations, instead of charging people with animal cruelty under state laws.

“If you are charged with animal cruelty, there is a mandatory psy (psychiatric) evaluation and huge fines,” Stills said. “Sometimes, it’s just people who aren’t educated enough about taking care of animals.”

Most of the changes in the ordinance are based on what police officers have seen in Prairie Grove as far as people taking care of their pets, Stills said. He also looked at ordinances used by other cities, such as Fayetteville, Denver, Colo., and St. Louis, Mo. The ordinances used by those cities were very similar, Stills added.

One new section in the ordinance regulates care and maintenance of animals. It states that it is unlawful for any person keeping an animal to fail, refuse or neglect to provide an animal with proper food, drink, shelter and care.

The ordinance spells out proper food, drink and care. It requires adequate food suitable for the species, age and physical condition of an animal to be provided at suitable intervals and at least once every 24 hours. The ordinance also requires an animal to have access to an adequate supply of clean, fresh potable water, access to appropriate shelter and bedding and to receive appropriate care and maintenance.

“I’ve been to houses where literally a piece of wood was leaning up against a tree or house with dirt under it. That’s not adequate, especially in the winter,” Stills said.

Officers also have seen animals that have not been to a veterinarian in years. Stills said he’s seen a dog with hair so matted it couldn’t go to the bathroom because the hair was so tangled and matted.

“We’re trying to catch these problems early enough so it will not lead to animal cruelty charges,” Stills said.

Another section in the ordinance deals with proper confinement of dogs. It requires, for example, that an animal cannot be tethered outside without supervision by the owner or another responsible adult. A dog or cat cannot be left in a vehicle under conditions that would risk the animal’s health or safety. Also, outdoor confinement cannot be smaller than 50 square feet, unless the property does not have enough space to meet that requirement.

“We’ve seen

dogs constantly left in an inside space that was a 4 by 8 holding pen. That’s not good,” Stills said. “If a dog is in a pen, it needs to be able to get out and run.”

In addition, a dog cannot be tied or fastened by any means that is directly attached to the dog’s neck. The dog must have a properly fitted collar or harness and not a choker collar.

Stills said this requirement comes from picking up dogs that had a rope or chain around their necks, not a collar.

A person found guilty of violating the city ordinance can be fined from $25-$100 per offense with every day of violation a separate offense.

As a whole, Stills said Prairie Grove police officers will respond to 100 to 120 animal calls per month. The city’s animal pound stays full most of the time and currently has 17 cats and dogs in it.