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West Marshall Students Celebrate Character Counts Week
West Marshall Elementary School celebrated National CHARACTER COUNTS! Week October 19-23, 2009 by helping the ARL. During the week, each grade level/classroom participated in service activities including some on-going projects and some one-time projects. The 3rd and 4th grade classes at West Marshall elected to make blankets for the cat kennels here at the ARL. Coordinator Megan Barber supervised the activities as the kids put together no-sew fleece blankets that were cut to size for the different ARL cat kennels. We greatly appreciate their hard work and time in creating warm, cozy comforters for our cats. And the timing was just right! With winter quickly approaching our cats and kittens will really enjoy the fuzzy blankets!
Thanks West Marshall!
Marshalltown City Animal Ordinances, October 1, 2009
The Marshalltown City Council has adopted the following changes in regards to animal related ordinances. The changes are as follows:
In regards to the dog at large ordinance, the cost of the municipal infraction and penalties will change as follows:
- 1st offense: $25.00 municipal infraction, this is the current municipal infraction for any dog returned to owner by the ARL
- 2nd offense: $100.00 municipal infraction and any unaltered animal will be sterilized at the owner's expense before being returned to the owner
- 3rd offense: forfeiture of the dog
These offenses apply to owner/keeper and not to a specific canine. These infractions and penalties apply to animals received at the Animal Rescue League, whether picked up by the ARL, Police Department or private citizens. Officers will still write dog at large tickets during the course of their normal patrols. These tickets require the owner to go through the court system, such as they would with a speeding ticket for example. A ticket issued by an officer, regardless of number of offenses to date, averages approximately $150 with court costs.
Forfeiture of an animal does not mean mandatory euthanasia. Forfeited animals would be subject to the same health and behavior assessments to qualify for potential adoption as any other dog coming into the ARL.
The ARL sees a large number of the same dogs and/or same pet owners in regards to dog at large violations. We have in the past had some dogs up to 6 times in one year picked up at large. We also deal with the same owners regularly who either have mulitple dogs they allow to run loose or get a 'new' dog when the dog doesn't return home or they abandon it at the ARL that they still allow the new pet to run at large.
The change is to remove animals consistently at large from the streets due to consistently irresponsible owners.
In regards to the vicious dog ordinance:
Changes have been made to further protect the citizens of the community and not release a potentially harmful dog back into the community.
The change applies to the seriousness of the bite. Any animal who bites and inflicits serious injury or death will be declared vicious and deemed unsafe to return to its home. This is a change from the former ordinace which did not address animals too vicious or aggressive to be returned home. The old ordinance, as written, would have allowed an animal that inflicted serious injury or killed another animal or human to be returned to its home as long as the owner/keeper complied with the terms of the ordinance. Due to several dog attacks within the last year, the city and Police Administration felt that the ordinance did not sufficiently protect the citizens of Marshalltown or the victims of the attacks.
The change will allow the city to remove aggressive animals from the city permanently and further protect the safety of its citizens and their pets.
These ordinance changes do not affect responsible pet owners. The Police Department and ARL have seen a notable increase in the number of animals running at large, with a large portion of those animals displaying aggressive behavior towards humans and other animals. Many of these aggressive, at-large animals are also involved in bites. The majority of animal bites invesitgated by the ARL and local law enforcement in 2009 have involved animals that were at-large and not current on rabies vaccines. These ordinances protect the responsible pet owners of our community and their non-pet owning neighbors.
Both changes allow for an appeal to be made to the city in regards to the violation. Appeals are overseen by the City Adminstrator to make a determination.
Tama County to have Animal Shelter in near future
Dream-becomes-reality-for-Tama-County-Humane-Society
Read the inspiring story of Betty Blue and join in the mission to help fight animal cruelty
Link provide with permission by the Animal Welfare Foundation of Iowa