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Bull Shoals council adopts revisions to dog ordinance, establishes lifetime pet license
Summary
The council suspended the rules and unanimously adopted revisions to Ordinance 2003‑18 to equalize fees for neutered/unneutered animals, require handler control via verbal/hand commands, require owners to pick up pet feces, and create a lifetime pet license with rabies vaccination tracking; motions passed 6–0.
Bull Shoals City Council unanimously adopted revisions to Ordinance 2003‑18 on Feb. 27, changing several provisions governing dogs and pet licensing.
Council suspended the rules by motion (Councilman Bolen moved; Councilman Hutchison seconded) and then approved substantive revisions to the dog ordinance. Key changes recorded in the minutes include equal fees for neutered and unneutered animals, a requirement that dogs be under the control of their handler through verbal or hand commands (otherwise treated as 'at large'), an owner responsibility to remove dog feces on public and private property, a lifetime pet license with rabies vaccination tracking maintained in an Excel worksheet, and a $10 replacement fee for lost or damaged tags. Both the suspension of rules and the ordinance revision passed 6–0.
The minutes record the council's clear direction but do not attach an implementation schedule, effective date for the revisions, or administrative detail about how rabies vaccination records will be verified beyond the Excel tracking note. Staff follow‑up was not specified in the minutes; next steps typically include updating the city code and notifying the public of changes to licensing and enforcement procedures.
The council’s action replaces older language that the planning staff described as 20 years out of date and aims to streamline enforcement and licensing.
