Alderwoman King announces work on a new ordinance for animals
By Guest Columnist Nancy Jo King
Back in February of this year, I met with Jacob Venuti, Ann Fratesi, operator of ARRF, and Omar Glasper, the City’s dog catcher, at the animal shelter in Leland. While we were discussing potential ways to help find some relief for the animal shelter’s overcrowding issues, our attention was caught by a beautiful brown dog mixed with Lab and Doberman.
The dog was energetic and followed commands pretty well. I asked Glasper where the dog came from, and he informed me that the dog had been dumped on the side of the road, one of the cruel ways that people have been recently disposing of animals.
Hearing the story about this beautiful brown dog sparked interest in my chief advisor, Jacob Venuti. We both decided to come up with a strengthened ordinance related to animals.
For someone to dump an animal in this manner is just horrible; it infuriates me to no end. Animals were created for us to show us that love doesn’t have to speak for us to know that it is present.
Venuti ended up taking the dog home from the shelter for her to be in a more comforting place to live.
The ordinance that I am working on talks about penalties for animals being dumped in the city, animals who are wandering the streets that have not been spayed or neutered, and animals that are being treated in an inhumane and cruel way.
Whoever is responsible for mishandling the treatment of animals should be punished in accordance with the law. We have an overcrowded shelter, and we must take steps to relieve that.
The animal ordinance is currently being reviewed by the City attorney, Heath Franklin. I am sure there may have to be some edits and corrections made to the ordinance, but I look forward to sharing a copy with the public before its adoption, so that members of the community can weigh in with their opinions.
I would also like the Board to consider naming the ordinance after the dog that has since been rescued from the shelter.
