Mayfield Council hears account of dog attack; animal quarantined, owner told to register pets

Mark, the town’s animal-control officer, told the Mayfield Town Council on March 12 that he was bitten and repeatedly attacked while attempting to capture an unlicensed dog on Second South, and that he sustained injuries requiring medical attention.

The council was told the dog’s owner lives temporarily in Mayfield and that two other dogs at the same residence were not licensed with the town. The animal was taken to a veterinary clinic and placed under the mandatory quarantine required after a bite; the council said it would wait for the clinic’s quarantine outcome before taking formal steps.

The officer described approaching the loose dog, attempting to locate tags and then being bitten. “When he bit, it wasn’t like a warning bite…he clamped onto my hand,” Mark said. He said the dog continued to bite through a kennel while being loaded into a cage and that he later sought medical care for multiple hand injuries.

The dog owner, who identified herself in the meeting as a single mother temporarily staying with family, apologized and said she had not realized the animals needed to be licensed after a recent move. “I’m happy to pay a fine, get my dogs registered here, and rehome them if necessary,” she said, adding she was prepared to relocate the male dog out of town to reduce risk and to provide vaccination paperwork for the females.

Council members and staff discussed town code limiting domestic kennels and requiring licenses; one council member noted the town does not routinely enforce the two-dog limit unless complaints arise. The animal-control officer urged stricter enforcement and noted state civil-liability exposure when an owned dog bites someone off the owner’s property.

Council members directed staff and the owner to provide documentation: vaccination and licensing paperwork for the two female dogs, and a written plan for how the owner will contain animals if they remain in town. The council did not take a punitive vote at the meeting; members repeatedly said their options were limited while the dog remains under the veterinary quarantine.

Next steps announced at the meeting included: the animal will remain at the clinic for the statutory quarantine period; the owner will submit vaccination and licensing documents; town staff will meet with the animal-control officer and the owner to draft a short-term containment/enforcement plan; and council members asked staff to return with legal and procedural options after the quarantine ends.

The council emphasized the public-safety and liability stakes in the discussion and asked the owner to act quickly on licensing and vaccinations so the town can evaluate longer-term remedies.