Jackson County health official proposes countywide animal-control/quarantine program

Elizabeth Townsend from county health administration briefed supervisors on the limits of current bite-response procedures and proposed exploring a county-run animal-control/quarantine program. "We get all the animal bites that come reported to our office, and then we send out a quarantine report," Townsend said, and noted that current practice relies mainly on home quarantines because the county lacks an established quarantine facility.

Townsend said municipalities including Bellevue, Preston and Maquoketa had indicated they might pay the county to stand up such a program. She described options used elsewhere: county licensing using pet-data services, a small daytime kennel for short quarantines and a contracted humane-society facility for unclaimed animals. "We would license every dog in the county with the help of the municipalities," she told the board, and urged the supervisors to authorize a survey of municipal needs and costs before committing budget resources.