Jefferson City proposes new rules for outside pets

As the weather gets colder, Jefferson City officials are trying to change some existing ordinances regarding outdoor animal safety.

“We’ve been approached by several citizens that are concerned when they see an animal that’s been tied up on a leash outside during inclement or dangerous weather,” said Capt. Eric Wilde, the head of the police department’s support services division.

The city’s animal shelter worked with the police department to come up with a few proposed changes and tweaks to the existing standards of care and housing for animals, specifically dogs.

Some tweaks include additions, such as “a structure for shelter and protection is provided that is suitable for the breed, age, condition, size, and type of dog.”

Wilde said there are a few new proposed ordinances, including one that simply formalizes something the animal control department already does.

“It’s really just a matter of definition. Our animal control officers are trained to go out and assess these situations, they already have discretion.” Wilde said. “All the ordinance does is reinforce that discretion and allows them to operate under that legal auspice of breed, age, condition, care of that animal.”

He said if they receive a complaint about a dog who has been left out in the cold, the department could then legally decide if the complaint is valid based on the breed.

“It gives us more discretion to the breed of animal that loves it outside during the cold weather,” he said. “So we don’t necessarily have to be an enforcement activity if it’s an animal that just deals well with outside situations.”

But there is a brand new proposed change from the city: an impound ordinance.

Wilde said right now the department can only write a summons for an owner if they have mistreated the dog. There isn’t any way to enforce that the dog is kept safe.

“We’re not doing anything to immediately preserve the safety of that animal,” he said. “This ordinance allows us to temporarily impound the animal should we see that it’s in an unsafe condition.”

ABC17 News reached out to Columbia Animal Control to see what kind of ordinance it had regarding outdoor pet safety.

Columbia did not have a specific ordinance that deals with complaints surrounding animals that thrive in colder or warmer weather, but it already does have an impound ordinance of sorts.

“There’s something in the law called exigent circumstances,” he said. “If you feel like you don’t have the time in a situation to get a search warrant then you can remove the animal under exigent circumstances for the animal’s safety,” said Branden Anderson, with Columbia animal control.

But he said they would try to make sure the animal could eventually stay in the home.

“If you can educate the owner and correct the situation without removing the animal, it saves space for shelters that we use,” he said. “It saves time for the courts and the people and everything if you can just work together to solve the problem.

Wilde said if the new impound ordinance does pass, they would also try to “work with the owner to make sure they’re educated about the proper conditions and the proper shelter.”

“If they choose not to comply with our recommendations, then we can impound it if we feel the animal is unsafe,” said Wilde.

But Wilde does recommend keeping pets inside during inclement weather, even if they are the type of breed that loves the cold.

“People should take care of their pets, and if the weather is too cold or too nasty outside for them to be out there, you should bring them in,” he said.

Wilde said they’ve presented the proposed changes to the Jefferson City Council for them to go over and discuss at their next city council meeting. He said they are subject to change.