Supervisors consider new animal control ordinance

 
 
BUTLER COUNTY—Have you ever had problems with a neighbor’s dog that loves to visit your home and make a ruckus? At present, all you can do about it is talk with your neighbor. If that doesn’t work the only legal alternative you have is to shoot the dog when he comes back on your property.
     For Cindy Hendrickson and Bo Ellison of rural Butler County, shooting a dog wasn’t an option, even if their neighbor refused to rein him in. So they came to the Butler County Board of Supervisors meeting on July 3 and 10 to propose an alternative.
     And the supervisors listened. A new animal control ordinance allowing for a $200 to $625 fine for individuals who refuse to stop their animals from running loose on their neighbors’ properties will soon be on the agenda for a vote.
     The fine range gives flexibility to the magistrate to decide the appropriate fine based on the circumstances—how much damage the animal is doing, if it’s harming people or property and if the individual is a repeat offender.
 
Read more in the July 19 edition of the STAR or TRIBUNE.