Littlefield Animal Shelter Summer Outreach Program continues: ‘Dogs At Large’

‘Dogs At Large’

During the week of July 11,2022, the Littlefield Animal Shelter added to its Summer Outreach Program with the Dogs At Large section.

The Dogs At Large section focused on what it means to have a dog tethered, the city ordinances of having a dog tethered and the dangers of letting dogs roam free.

The Littlefield Animal Shelter Facebook page kicked off by explaining the common concerns about stray dogs. The shelter posted the most common concerns, which are safety concerns for pets and children, worries over fleas or rabies, concerns that the dog is a lost pet and problems with barking.

The shelter shared the differences between a stray animal and a dog at large. According to the shelter, stray animals are animals that were once owned and now have been discarded by their owners to live and wander on the streets where they are now proliferate and have to fight for their lives daily seeking food. A dog at large, is any owned dog that is off lead, leash or tether or not securely restrained within a fenced-in area.

The next segment for the shelter was questioning why dogs are loose. The shelter lists out four potential reasons why an animal could have gotten loose. The firstreason was irresponsible animal owners or the owners may not care if their pet is loose. The second reason was uncontrolled breeding. The animals are not being sterilized and continue to breed while out. The third reason was poor fence maintenance, which could mean parts of a fence is either missing or broken. The final reason was that the animal accidentally escaped through an open door or gate, dug out or escaped the owners control.

The shelter posted about the dangers of animals being out. There are a lot of problems for the strays and pets being out, according to the shelter. The problems include hunger, illness, lack of food, lack of shelter and health hazards. The problems created by the strays and pets being out are that they create a nuisance, they can be exposed to or catch fatal diseases that can be transmitted to humans, they can scare people, they can bark or bite humans and other animals, and they can damage property.

The shelter posted the steps to prevent pets from being out. Step one is addressing the source of the animal and determining if the animal is a stray or an owned animal. If the animal has an owner, try locating the owner. The second step is education for theowner by making them aware of the state and local ordinances, making the owner aware of the consequences of their animals being out and offering suggestions on how to prevent future escapes. The third and final step is the sterilization of owned animals. The shelter strongly suggests to all pet owners to have their animal sterilized to prevent unwanted babies.

The Littlefield Animal Shelter did not share some of the dangers that go along with not sterilizing pets, but according to the Veterinary Nurse website, some of the dangers to male dogs are an enlarged prostate, which can cause difficulty in urination and bowel movement, infections in the prostate and testicular cancer. Female dogs can develop Pyometra, which is a uterine infection that can be fatal if left untreated. Female dogs can also develop mammary tumors, which are often malignant and can eventually spread to the lungs. Like dogs, female cats can also develop Pyometra and mammary tumors. However, unlike dogs, 90 percent of the mammary tumors are malignant.

The shelter posted some of the consequences of pets being out. The consequences include death, illness, citation and seizure of the animal. Animals could end up being hit by a car or get into a fight with another animal. The animal could be exposed to and catch illnesses, such as rabies, valley fever and heartworms, which is carried by mosquitoes and transmitted to dogs. The owners of the animal will receive one written warning, after which they will receive a citation each time their animal is caught out. If an owner cannot be located, the animal may be picked up by animal control and taken to the shelter. If the owner steps forward, they will have fees that will have to be paid before they can reclaim the animal.

The shelter posted two city ordinances in two separate Facebook posts. The first one had two sections of the ordinance, which was Sec. 2.01.008 – Care and Control of Dogs, which states all dogs must be kept under restraint and all owners must exercise proper care and control of their dog to prevent them from becoming a public nuisance. The seconded was Sec. 2.01.009 – Restraint of Dogs, which states every person owning or havingcharge, care, custody or control of any dog will keep the dog exclusively on their own property by means of physical restraint.

The second post about city ordinances was also in two sections of the ordinance. The first part was Sec. 2.04.016 – Abandonment of Animal, which states it is unlawful for any person to abandon or dump any animal in the city, it is the responsibility of every person to immediately report the animal to the shelter and to report any facts that may lead to the identification of the person. The second was Sec. 2.04.010 – Issuance of Citation, which states in lieu of impounding a dog or animal deemed to be a public nuisance, the known owner of the animal will receive a notice of ordnance violation and will be required to appear in court.

Finally, the shelter went over the steps an owner needs to take in order to get their pet back when it has been picked up by the shelter. Step one is to repair the area where the dog got out or figure out how the dog got out and address that. The next step is to confirm that it is the correct dog in the shelter. This can be done by contacting the shelter with the post information or coming down to the shelter and identifying the dog.

Step three is to go to City Hall and pay the $25 kennel fee, if it is same day pick up. Otherwise, it will be $25 plus $10 a day for however many days the dog has been at the shelter. The next step is to bring the receipt from City Hall and proof of rabies vaccination or intent to get rabies vaccination. This can be done by going to the vet and prepaying for the vaccine and bringing that receipt as well. This is state law. The shelter must have this before it can release the dog and a copy of these receipts are kept at the shelter. The final step is an animal control officer will follow the owner to their house and do a fence inspection to insure the dog is not going to get out again.

The shelter posts on Facebook whenever they pick up a dog. They post where the dog was picked up, when the dog was picked up along with a photo of the dog. All information relating to an animal that has been picked up and information regarding the topics for the Summer Outreach Program, is posted on the City of Littlefield Animal Shelter Facebook page.