Advance board passes new dog ordinance

Weeks after officially repealing its ordinance that limited dog ownership, the Advance Board of Aldermen passed a new ordinance city officials and residents called a "fair compromise."

At their regular monthly meeting Monday night, the four aldermen and the mayor unanimously approved the measure, which will take effect after all official paperwork has been filed today, Mayor Carl "Pete" Ritter said.

The board worked with a citizen committee formed to address the city's problems with sanitation, barking and other dog-related nuisances to create the new ordinance. The previous ordinance limited ownership to only two dogs in one home, lawn or enclosure, which sparked debate among many pet owners.

According to Amanda Brooks, a member of the citizen committee, one of the group's main goals was to protect dog owners who properly care for their animals, as well as neighbors living near those who do not.

"We wanted to define clearer what a nuisance actually is," she said. "This way, we can protect both the good dog owners and the neighbors by defining the steps that can be taken to alleviate problems with those who are not keeping up with their animals."

The new ordinance specifically states what actions constitute a nuisance, including dogs running uncontrolled, creating noxious or offensive odors and making excessive noises that cause a disturbance to a neighbor for more than 30 minutes.

Ritter said he has thoroughly reviewed the committee's suggestions and believes it did "an excellent job."

"I really admire what they did and the time they spent getting together to work on this," he said. "This new ordinance will be easier to enforce and with these more specific definitions owners [who do not obey the ordinance] can't try to just slip through."

Ritter and Brooks agreed the new ordinance also has more "bite." Dog owners who fail to keep their lawn or enclosure clean will receive a warning for a first offense. Repeated offenses will result in a fine of up to $500, a cleaning of the property every 24 hours, removal of the pets and up to 90 days in jail for extreme cases.

Those who are the source of consistent nuisance complaints also can expect to receive a fine of up to $500 with the possibility of up to 90 days in jail, as well as removing animals from the property or keeping them in an enclosed space from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.

"We basically just gave more teeth to what the city was already trying to do about the problem," Brooks said.

Ritter said the heftier punishments and clearer definitions for nuisance and sanitation not only would make it easier to enforce within the city, but also would make it easier for a judge to rule if issues are taken before a court.

"What this does is leave the judge with more power to fine these individuals that don't follow the rules and specifies more about what constitutes proper care," he said.

The mayor added he hopes the community feels satisfied with the new ordinance and looks forward to putting an end to the city's "dog problem."

srinehart@semissourian.com

388-3641

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Advance, Mo.