Sioux City resident urges council to intervene after three dogs impounded; staff to investigate

A Sioux City resident told the City Council her three dogs were taken to the animal shelter after a recent eviction and that the animals — including a registered service dog and an elderly dog with arthritis — were not being cared for while impounded.

Catherine Meyer identified herself as a landowner and breeder and said the animals were seized after she evicted a tenant. She said the tenant later told her she would not press charges and that the tenant’s messages contradicted animal-control reports. Meyer said one of the dogs is a registered service animal that alerts her to cardiac issues and that another is pregnant. “My animals mean a lot to me. They are my children,” Meyer said.

Meyer said shelter staff would not let her see the dogs, called police to remove her from the facility, and informed her the dogs would not be returned. She described the impoundment as an overreach by a private contractor operating the shelter and asked the council to “look into this.”

The city attorney said on the record, “Our office prosecutes the cases for animal control. We have not received the citations yet. So beyond that, I can't comment further on it.” A city official asked whether the dogs might be in quarantine for lack of rabies vaccination; Meyer said her dogs were current on three-year vaccinations, but the city official noted the dogs were not licensed in Sioux City and said, “If they're not licensed, then that would be on file. … That's a problem.”

Council members did not take a formal vote but named staff to follow up. One council member said, “Mike and Nicole will look into it,” and city staff said they would review the underlying citations and records. The record shows no citations had been received by the city attorney’s office at the time of the meeting.

Meyer provided specific addresses for her residence and rental property during her remarks and said she had video and text messages that she had offered to provide. The council did not order an immediate release of the animals on the record; staff follow-up was the only action recorded.

The council did not make a formal decision at the meeting; staff follow-up and review of citations and shelter records were recorded as the next steps.