Animal Control sees increase in calls over the summer

As the temperature gets hotter and the days get longer, Columbia’s Animal Control officers are responding to more calls then usual.

“People see more violations with longer daylight hours than they do when the daylight hours are shorter,” said Brandon Anderson, an Animal Control officer.

Anderson has worked for the department for almost a decade, and he said they follow up on every call.

Sometimes they turn out to be false alarms, but they give the officers a chance to check and make sure pet owners are following the ordinances.

“There’s an anti-tethering law in the city, they can’t be outside a majority of the day,” said Anderson.

In the hot weather, animals are also at risk of heat stroke or exhaustion. Animals in Columbia – and in general – must have proper food, water and shelter if they are outside.

Anderson said animals should be kept inside as much as possible and the most common reason animals are outdoors is because they might not be properly house trained.

“The best recommendation would be to have them live inside the house and use a crate to train them properly,” said Anderson.

Here’s a link to Columbia’s pet ordinances, as well as Boone County’s.

If someone sees a pet they think is not being treated in accordance with the ordinances, they can call Animal Control at 573-449-1888.

Fines and tickets start at around $60 and can even get up to hundreds of dollars.