The Marion County Board continues to discuss how to handle dog cases in the smaller incorporated communities.
The issue has come up because there is no place to hold dogs running at large or who need to be quarantined after biting someone because the communities don’t have a contract to utilize the Centralia Animal Shelter.
Animal Control Officer Ken Ferguson says he is still responding to dog bite cases in the smaller communities. When the owner of the aggressive dog can be located, they are ordered to self-quarantine the dog for ten days as required by law to determine if they develop rabies. Ferguson says he also checks with the vet used by the dog’s owner to see if the dog has proper immunizations.
The Community Relations Committee is relooking at the animal control problem again because of a dog bite case in Patoka. Committee Chair Bill Henson says by State Law, Ferguson should respond to dog bit cases.
Patoka Mayor Betty Brumfield told the full county board Tuesday night she was upset because Ferguson didn’t respond. But Ferguson said he did handle the call and ordered the dog owner to self quarantine.
Wamac Mayor Butch Mathus expressed his displeasure that the county animal control officer will not respond to dog calls in the cities like Clinton and Washington Counties. He also noted when a Wamac Police officer took custody of a dog recently, they were not allowed to take the dog to the Centralia Animal Pound that had occurred in the past.
Henson has written a job description for the animal control officer that will be further discussed with other issues at a committee meeting before the next county board meeting on June 25th. State’s Attorney Tim Hudspeth has been asked to be in attendance to handle legal questions.
Meanwhile, while the meeting was taking place, two other people were bit when trying to break up a dog fight on Main Street in Walnut Hill. The two were taken to SSM Health St. Mary’s Hospital in Centralia for treatment, while the dog was ordered to be self-quarantined.
