ANIMAL CONTROL has recently begun enforcing the City of Rome’s tougher restrictions on pets — on property or on leash at all times ... or else.
Or else promises to be a lot harder on the pet than the owner as the ordinance also says: “Any dog or other animal within the city without an owner, or any dog or other animal running at large at any time ... shall be impounded or confined in the animal control center for a period of 72 hours for redemption by the owner, if any. Any dog or other animal not redeemed in accordance with this section may be released to the humane society. Any dog or other animal not redeemed in accordance with this section or not accepted by the humane society in accordance with this section shall be destroyed in a humane manner.”
If the owner doesn’t want to bail the animal out and pay the fine, the actual “victim” in this scenario gets the death penalty.
There’s something fundamentally wrong with this approach.
No doubt most of us have seen “loose” animals inside the city, even an occasional “pack” of dogs roaming free. For reasons of public health, safety and more, one can appreciate where Animal Control is coming from and, with this law already long on the books, it is simply doing what it had been ignoring.
IN THE UNINCORPORATED area, the ordinance is different as is the population density. There pets such as dogs and cats can roam freely off the owner’s property so long as no complaint results.
Nonetheless, not everyone can afford fencing, and chaining an animal that was born free is not entirely nice. Besides, how does one “leash” a cat? Sure, we’ve seen (rarely) a cat being walked on a leash but that’s certainly not in the nature of things.
And why this sudden concentration on dogs and cats running loose while no known “animal control” action is occurring as regards the squirrels and snakes that seem to be enjoying a population boom inside the city this year. Aren’t squirrels an “other animal” without an owner that should be picked up and terminated within 72 hours?
And, frankly, stray deer have a greater reputation for being “dangerous” hereabouts than do cats and dogs.
This isn’t to say that greater awareness of Rome’s leash law, along with enforcement, isn’t necessary. It’s surprising how many pure-bred dogs one sees romping loose in some neighborhoods.
IT IS TO SAY that imposing a possible death penalty on a dog or cat that has an irresponsible or inattentive owner is pretty harsh.
Unless Rome goes to having a “no-kill” shelter — the local humane society already has way more to do than it can handle — in which to place such animals, it should abandon this crackdown except when there are specific complaints.
If the city wants to institute annual but affordable “pet license” fees to keep an animal in the city in order to fund such a shelter ... fine.
One doubts many pet owners would object as it would be “insurance” that their strayed animal cannot be summarily executed.
The city’s always been pretty good about treating people like people. Now it should learn how to treat pets like pets.
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