Animal Control Commission unanimously urges defeat of ordinance to legalize portable electronic collars as restraint

The Fairbanks North Star Borough Animal Control Commission voted unanimously to recommend the borough assembly defeat Ordinance 2025-12, a draft measure that would clarify whether portable electronic collars (commonly called e-collars) qualify as a legal form of restraint outside private, stationary electronic fences.

Sponsor Assembly member Barbara Haney said she brought the ordinance after constituents — often young parents — told her they believed the devices were permitted and wanted clarity. "I don't like having things if you're going to violate something, it should be because you decided to violate it, not because you thought it was legal and it turned out not to be," Haney said during the commission hearing.

Animal control staff and the lead animal control officer recommended against adoption of the ordinance as written, telling commissioners the draft lacked critical operational limits. "Anything outside of these four methods of restraint is considered an at large and is punishable by a fine of $200," Officer Ross said, describing current code and warning that nonspecific wording on portable collars (including unlimited device ranges, how many animals one person may control and whether a person must have a transmitter in hand) would complicate enforcement and could create public-safety risks.

Ross described animal-welfare and enforcement concerns, noting some collars can have ranges from 100 yards to two miles and that misuse has produced burns and pressure injuries in past cases. Ross recommended specific edits: require a person to accompany and control the transmitter or application, establish a maximum distance and limit the number of animals one person may manage at once, and exclude high-density public events or designated urban core areas.

Public testimony was split. Ginny Olson, a North Pole resident, urged more careful drafting and suggested mapping where portable collars would be permissible. Local dog owner Jane Scheid described nearly a decade of responsible e-collar use and said the device helped her keep a rehabilitated dog under control; "In all these years that I've walked her, I have never had an incident," she said. Several commissioners said they were sympathetic to owners who rely on the technology in rural areas but expressed concern about enforceability and potential harm to unfamiliar animals.

Commissioner Rudy moved to recommend that the borough assembly defeat the ordinance as drafted; Commissioner Sherman seconded. The clerk called a roll call and the commission recorded a 7-0 vote in favor of recommending defeat. The commission asked staff to contact the mayor about arranging further work and a possible special meeting to refine the ordinance language before it returns to the assembly.

What happens next: The commission's recommendation will be forwarded to the borough assembly for its meeting schedule and consideration. The commission and staff signaled willingness to draft amendments addressing Officer Ross's enforcement and animal-welfare concerns before the ordinance returns to the assembly.