McClure wants to rein in dogs, cats

MCCLURE, Ill. -- McClure Mayor Cheryle Dillon could be accused of having an unhidden agenda.

Dillon wrote the animal control ordinance that will be introduced at the village board's meeting Tuesday night. As director of the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, she had some background on the issues.

The proposed ordinance would enable the village to pick up dogs and cats allowed to run loose. A microchip identification would be injected into the animal, and the owner would be required to pay a $25 return fee and $10 a day in boarding costs. The second time the animal is picked up it would be altered if it was not already spayed or neutered. The owner would be billed for the procedure in addition to paying the other fees. All the procedures would be conducted at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri in Cape Gir-ardeau.

The board is investigating whether it can require owners of pit bulls, Doberman pinschers, Rottweilers and German shepherds to maintain extra liability insurance.

All of this is likely to meet some resistance in a community that was unincorporated until 2 1/2 years ago. "People who live in rural areas are used to doing things their way," Dillon said.

She said the ordinance is being modeled on Cape Girardeau's, which she works with every day. Passage will require the village to hire a part-time animal control officer.

Passage of the ordinance will benefit the organization Dillon works for. She said the village attorney's opinion is that no conflict of interest exists. She said the only other facility that was interested in the contract is a no-kill shelter in Anna, Ill., that limits the number of animals it will accept.

Dillon says a law is needed to make some changes in the way some animals are treated in the town of 423 residents. "There are horses in McClure that are not being taken care of," she said.

Sunshine, a black Labrador, is an institution at the L&D Patio, a bar on Highway 3 in McClure. The dog often can be seen snoozing in the parking lot. Many customers feed her. Sunshine doesn't seem to pose a threat to herself or anyone else. A woman in the bar who didn't want to be identified said she's opposed to any animal control ordinance.

But some residents have come before the village board to complain about the lack of animal control in McClure. One told about a roaming large dog that attacked and killed a small dog. The concern is also for the children in the village.

Debbie Seals, a member of the village board who is a secretary at Shawnee Elementary School South, said she wants to safeguard the children in the village. "We haven't had any incidents involving children and want to keep that from happening."

The elementary school principal, Amy Reynolds, said the village needs an animal control ordinance. The problem of dogs coming onto the playground hasn't been as bad this year, she said, but during her five previous years as principal, the custodian, the physical education teacher and she often have had to corral a pit bull or other dog.

"Daily there's a dog on the playground," she said. "We're always having them shoo them out."

The school won't let the students onto the playground when a dog is running around. "We're pretty cautious," Reynolds said.

Along Highway 3, McClure extends from the Hushpuppie Bar & Grill north to the Union County line.

Valorie Long lives along the highway in an isolated enclave of homes owned by family members. She keeps her miniature Doberman pinscher in a pen to prevent her from getting killed on the highway. She favors an ordinance.

"You keep your animals put up for their own safety," she said.

Some kind of animal control is necessary in any incorporated area, says Kenny Merriman, the village clerk. "There have to be some rules and regulations. Part of that is going to involve the care and maintaining of your personal animals."

Since the incorporation, the six-member board has concentrated on aligning the village with state statutes and gathering the census information necessary to apply for federal grants. A grant has been received to pay for the design of a sewer system. The village was rejected for a grant to build low-income housing because it's in a flood plain.

The board tweaked the state guideline prohibiting liquor sales within 100 feet of a school or church. In McClure liquor sales are prohibited within 500 feet of a school or a church.

The board also passed an ordinance requiring residents to clean up trash in their yards. It is seeking financial help from the state to hire an officer to enforce the new laws.

The board will consider its new animal control ordinance when it meets at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Shawnee Elementary School South on Highway 3. The board normally meets the second Monday of each month but rescheduled the meeting due to Monday's Columbus Day holiday.

sblackwell@semissourian

335-6611, extension 137