New ordinance to change how vicious dogs are handled in Jackson Co. | News

By Stephen McLamb

Jackson County officials say they're working to plug a loophole that currently makes it tough for animal control officers to deal with vicious dogs.

Officials say they're limited in their ability to pick up vicious dogs in the county because the county lacks an ordinance to deal with those situations.

Chief Deputy Rocky Harnen said if a dog has had its shots, there's little they can do. But if the dog hasn't had its shots, then they can order the dog to the vet. Work on a new ordinance would change that.

“We can petition the court and they can rule it as being vicious and then that owner will be required to go through some procedure, such as putting it in a fence with a floor that cannot be dug out of,” said Harnen.

County Commission Chairwoman Sadie Bias said they hope to have the new ordinance finalized for review by the commission at their work session in early April.