Thanks to Jodi for this alert.

Under the proposed ordinance, owners of “pit bulls” would be required to obtain a special permit and insurance.

Board of Supervisors
Hinds County Chancery Court Building, 316 S. President St., Jackson, MS 39201
Phone: 601.968.6501
Fax: 601.968.6794

Robert Graham, rgraham@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.714.6306

Doug Anderson, danderson@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.968.6794

Peggy Calhoun, pcalhoun@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.968.6774

Phil Fisher, pfisher@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.857.2890

George Smith, gsmith@co.hinds.ms.us
Fax: 601.968.6794

Board meeting agendas: http://www.co.hinds.ms.us/pgs/BoardAgenda/BoardAgenda.asp

http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20100315/NEWS/3150322/1001/Animal-control-facility-out-of-space

Animal control facility ‘out of space’

Hinds County sheriff wants more kennels, new site for operations

Kathleen Baydala • kbaydala@clarionledger.com • March 15, 2010

Inside the long, white makeshift building that serves as Hinds County’s animal control headquarters, Maj. Teresa Gardner pointed to a hole in the ceiling and then shuffled a foot across a peeling patch on the concrete floor. “You can tell this building has seen better days,” she said, raising her voice to be heard over the chorus of barking dogs.

A plan under way in the county to tighten animal ownership laws and toughen penalties likely would require county law enforcement to seize more dogs. But animal control officials say the unit barely has adequate facilities for the dogs it has now.

Sheriff Malcolm McMillin has asked the board for money so his department can build a new animal control site. He estimated the unit would need about 30 kennels, which is twice as many as it has now. “Our current building has run out of space,” he told the board during a March 1 meeting.

On a rainy Tuesday last week, 11 of the site’s 16 indoor, cement block kennels held dogs. The smell of industrial cleaner barely masked the odors of wet fur and urine.

Gardner, who supervises animal control, said the county’s proposed approach to dangerous dogs is different than the one considered by the city of Jackson because it does not seek to outlaw a specific breed. The Jackson City Council killed a proposed pit bull ban on March 8 for lack of support.

However, the county’s drafted ordinance would require residents who own pit bulls, exotic animals and hybrid wolf dogs to obtain a permit from the Sheriff’s Department and hold insurance.

“The people who give us the most trouble with pit bulls are the people who don’t care. They’re the criminal element,” Gardner said. “If you ban those dogs, these people are just going to open their gates and let them out or bring them to another county.”

The ordinance also includes a ban on tethering dogs and transporting them unrestrained in the back of open truck beds. The ordinance would not affect residents in cities or towns that have their own laws, the sheriff said.

Under the proposal, penalties would increase from a minimum $100 fine for the first offense to no less than a $1,000 fine and 90 days in jail for the third. The current law has a $25 fine.

District 3 Supervisor Peggy Calhoun said the suggested fines are too “light.” “They should be three times that,” she said during Thursday’s board work session. “My position is that any violation of the ordinance should be so penalizing that it would cause a financial burden to the dog owner and/or criminal charges.”

The Board of Supervisors has not set a date to vote on the ordinance. District 5 Supervisor George Smith said the board must have a public hearing first.

Gardner said her unit has seen an increase in complaints since February, when a 5-year-old girl in Terry was mauled to death by a dog across the street from her home. “We were getting 10 to 15 calls a week before the Terry incident,” Gardner said. “Since then, they’ve increased. We’re getting at least double that.”

What’s more, she said, calls could increase if the new ordinance is enacted. The county has two animal control officers and an inmate who cares daily for the dogs.

The county erected the dog kennels next to the penal farm in 1998, shortly after the Board of Supervisors gave the Sheriff’s Department responsibility over animal control. To keep costs low, the building was constructed from scrap materials gathered from torn down barns and houses.

McMillin said he’s not opposed to building a new site the same way. “If the board can provide the materials, we will do the building using inmate labor,” the sheriff said. He has not estimated how much materials may cost. “What he’s asking for we probably can provide to him from the general fund,” Calhoun said. “If it means saving a life, a couple thousand dollars should not be that significant.”

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