Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Animal Control topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Resident urges action after neighbor keeps dozens of dogs; council and staff describe enforcement steps
Summary
A resident told the council a neighbor keeps about 17 dogs that run loose and have frightened children and neighbors; city officials described past citations, code enforcement visits and planned court action.
A Scottsburg resident told the City Council on June 8 that a neighbor is keeping a large number of dogs and that the animals run loose and have frightened children and other neighbors.
Christy Colson said she first raised the issue more than two years ago and that the property owner now has "17 dogs," some large breeds. "My kids are afraid to go outside because these aren't little Children shepherds and pit bulls," Colson said during public comment.
City officials who spoke at the meeting described multiple enforcement steps already taken. One staff speaker said city code enforcement, the police chief and animal-control personnel had visited the property, issued notices and pursued charges. The speaker said the city had given the owner time to comply and that county or state resources had also been involved.
On the ordinance cited at the meeting, a city speaker said, "The state has an ordinance that you may have up to 3..." (the speaker's words were that the ordinance limits animals but the exact phrasing in the transcript was fragmented). The council and staff explained they had pursued court action and that additional legal steps were being prepared; the staff speaker said they planned to ask the city's attorney to file further motions.
Why it matters: recurring animal-control problems can raise public-safety and public-health concerns for adjacent properties and for municipal code-enforcement resources.
Colson described multiple incidents of dogs chasing residents, including a recent episode in which a neighbor reported being chased on the road. She said other residents had reported fights among animals and sleepless nights caused by barking.
City staff said health-department personnel and a veterinarian had assessed the property at different times. The staff speaker said the property is near a jurisdictional boundary, which has complicated enforcement in some respects; officials said they were continuing efforts to resolve the situation through citations and court filings.
The council heard the complaint and staff updates; no new ordinance or policy was enacted at the meeting. Staff told Colson they would continue enforcement work and that the resident would be updated on next steps.
Colson thanked officials for continuing to pursue the matter and left the meeting after her comments.
