News
Bloomfield to continue pursuit of stray dogs; owners will be cited
Added: 2010-03-02 23:00:02
Updated: 2010-03-03 15:00:02
By Nick Schneider ASSISTANT EDITOR The stray dog problem was discussed again by the Bloomfield Town Council on Tuesday night. It's not a new topic and one that has been talked about by the council members and town police plenty of times before. At the suggestion of a resident, who recently called the town hall to complain about the continuing problem with stray dogs, the council and town marshal Ken Tharp again reviewed the current ordinance and urged owners to keep their animals on a lease or they could be fined. Tharp stressed that if the dogs can be caught and the owners determined, they are cited. Some dogs are more difficult than others to catch. Tharp pointed out that several officers have been trying to catch a small black dog that is wearing a collar for some time now, but they have been unsuccessful. "I believe it is abandoned and we do cite them when we do find the owners, but if you can't find the owners, you can't cite them," Tharp said. The current fine schedule is a $25 fine to the owner for the first violation, $50 the next time and $100 for a third offense. Tharp said he does not have any kind of tranquilizer weapon and sometimes catching a dog is a real challenge. "I've also told my guys, they are not going to get bit by a dog either. We will destroy the dog, if it turns aggressive," he stressed. Chief Deputy Harvey Holt called the stray dog problem the top complaint received by the department. Tharp said the increasing number of stray dogs in town might be a sign of the current economic times. "With the economy the way it is, people are cutting costs and the dogs are the first ones to be turned out. It's just a continuous problem," he stated.
