Hattiesburg residents Christine Mann and Nell Whittington – both of whom have recently been attacked by dogs in their neighborhood – came to Monday’s meeting of Hattiesburg City Council looking for stricter regulations on the city’s animal codes, particularly on aggressive animals, noise levels and pet owner guidelines.
They might just have their solution in the form of a draft of a proposed animal ordinance, which tightens up the one the city has had in place since 1982. The draft, which was presented by Joe Paul, customer service coordinator for the city, adds a few measures onto the books to further assure the healthy and humane treatment of domestic pets, as well as to enhance the safety of citizens and pets against threats of nuisance or harm from animals.
One of the first changes comes under Section 4-1, which says that potentially dangerous dog – defined as any dog that has, without provocation, been found to menace or display aggressive behavior toward a person or other animal – may be impounded for observation. If it is determined that a potentially dangerous dog may be returned to its owner and neighborhood, the owner may be required to meet further directives, such as keeping the animal inside unless tended to by the owner.
“The idea, especially with potentially dangerous dogs, is to get out in front of potential problems that might arise in the future,” Paul said. “That way, neighbors can say, ‘I need animal control to come out and take a look at this. I feel threatened by this animal.’”
The proposed draft also would place the animal control section of the city’s code under the jurisdiction of the Hattiesburg Police Department, and the city would contract annually with a licensed Hattiesburg animal shelter for the impoundment and care of animals seized by animal control. In addition, any monies collected as a result of fines would be used at the city’s designated animal shelter for the care and feeding of impounded animals.
“The ordinance written in 1982 actually had this under Code Enforcement, and at that time we ran a city pound,” Paul said. “And I actually just learned today that there’s actually not a state license for shelters, so we worked around that language. But this has been our practice.”
The draft states that kennels, breeding farms, animal training businesses and boarding facilities may only operate on property that is properly zoned, and are not allowed on residential property.
“That’s probably already a fact, just given the land use code, but we’ve strengthened that by putting that in a number of places,” Paul said. “A lot of this backyard breeding, keeping kind of a de facto kennel in a neighborhood, is what we’re really after eliminating in the city of Hattiesburg.”
Currently, if an animal is impounded, the owner must pay a small fee – as little as $10 – to get the animal back. The new draft would increase that fee as high as $50 for subsequent offenses. The owner would also be responsible for any other charges incurred while the animal was impounded.
The draft also sets the number of pets at any one household to six – whether that be just dogs or a mix of dogs and cats. The exception would be newly-born puppies under three months old.
“But for a person to keep more than three dogs, they may not have neighbors, residences or businesses within 120 feet in all directions of the residence where the dogs reside,” Paul said. “All owners who reside less than 120 feet from residences or businesses may have no more than three dogs.”
Council members are expected to look over the draft and decide on the matter in the near future.
