Animal at large, what does that exactly mean? An animal at large is any animal that is not under the control of the owner or member of his/her family or agent by means of a leash, cord, chain or otherwise restrained. It can also mean any animal that is running free off its owner’s premises and not under the control of a responsible adult.
To a lot of readers, that scenario probably sounds all too familiar as this is an ongoingprobleminMarshall County. For residents who live within the city limits of Madill or Kingston, there are animal control officers trainedtohandleanyanimal at large found within city limits. The Town of Oakland currently doesn’t have an animal control officer to handle issues within their city limits, according to the town’s clerk Rhonda Whitsett.
For residents who live outside those city limits, there aren’t any options, meaning there isn’t anyone to call. Out in the county areas of Marshall County, there are not any animal control officers to handle animals that are left unsupervised or dumped.
The Marshall County Sheriff’s office has made strides in protecting animals against animal cruelty but an animal at large isn’t considered abuse or neglect. What one person may consider neglect or abuse by leaving a pet outside unattended isn’t considered so by law.
However, if that dog were left outside with no shelter, food or water, then that would be a case for abuse or neglect. On the flip side of that, someone seeing a family dog out in an unfenced yard just laying around enjoying their time in the sunshine, might consider thatpetunsupervised;again that would not be considered as such by law.
When does an unsupervised dog become an animal atlarge?Whentheyhaveleft the premises or property of the owner and are out roaming free onto the streets and other people’s property.
Residents within the city limits can call animal control. So, if one's neighbor's dog, Miffy, is in their trash everyday and Miffy’s owner is nowhere insight, the nondog owner can call animal control.
Great, problem solved, right? Not necessarily. Take into consideration how many Miffys’ there are around town. Local animal shelters only have so much space and resources, and once those shelters reach max capacity there aren’t many options left.
Take the same scenario with Miffy and the trash but the non-dog owner lives in the county, outside the city limits. What can they do about their trash that is knocked over every week? They can try to talk to Miffy’s owner and hope that they do the responsible thing.
What if they don’t or what if there isn’t an owner to talk to because the dog was dumped? What options are there for county residents?
Unfortunately there aren’t any, other than hoping the neighbors do the right thing by maintaining control over their animals which are considered personal property. Depending on where one lives in the county there may be conveniences and restrictions about instances of animals at large and if there is any damage to property or injury from said animals.
If those restrictions are in play, great. The non-dog owner has a civil case but most of the time, there are not any. Many residents are left with the feeling of helplessness andnotsurewhatto do when other people's animals are on their property doing more than knocking over trash cans.
Worrying about being attacked by the unwanted, unfamiliar dogs on their property is a big concern for people with children, pets or the elderly. Many people have asked if there could or should be more done at a stateleveltopassordinances to address issues of animals at large in counties across Oklahoma.
While some people see that it should be addressed and efforts be made to make changes, others feel that the efforts for change should start on a more local level. Before blanket ordinances for making laws in the counties that would affect everyone, maybe changes need to be made by the people that live out in the counties.
Be proactive to ensure the pets are not infringing on the neighbors' right to enjoy their own property without being harrassed, attacked or bullied by yhe pets. In cases of dumping, which sadly is a big contributor to the stray dog population, it can be harder to control.
Residents who live out in the county and see someone dumping an unwanted pet, reporting it to the sheriff's office can help to deter others inthefuturefromcontinuing to do the same.
If this issue were to make it to the state level, there would be a lot to take into consideration before heading downthatpath.Whenan ordinance is passed, it will affect everyone in the county and how will that look?
There would need to be enforcement and animal control officers in the counties to enforce those new laws. That would leave the counties responsible for fundingtohireandmaintain the animal control officers.
That funding would have to come from tax revenues raised. Then once citations are issued there will be instances of residents who do not comply having to pay a fine that they may or may not be able to afford.
When weighing the options, it would seem that the easiest thing to do would be to maintain control over the pets, spay and neuter them, and stop dumping unwanted pets. There are resources available in the counties though nonprofits and volunteers to assist with rehoming of pets in situations where the owners are no longer able to keep the pet.