At a recent Homer City Council meeting the council unanimously approved an ordinance that updates city code related to domestic animals.
The change is based on recommendations from the Sustainable Animal Control Review Committee. The ordinance came to the assembly from the City Manager and the Police Chief.
It revised code and adjusted fees and fines associated with the animal shelter, made modifications related to kennels and redefined an animal at large, among other things.
Council member Donna Aderhold introduced an amendment to the ordinance that changed the tethering requirement for dogs and other animals in vehicles.
“The ordinance that came to us, specifically stated that animals needed to be tethered in the back of a vehicle through cross-tethering. I suggested an amendment to that to make it a little bit more lenient. So that animals would remain completely within the back of a vehicle,” said Aderhold.
One of Aderhold’s suggestions was to add the phrase “in a humane manner” to the ordinance, when speaking of preventing the animal from falling, jumping, or being thrown from vehicles.
When Aderhold says a humane manner, she means in a way that retains the animal’s front and hind legs within the vehicle, without harming the animal itself.
The ordinance makes it illegal to let an animal move about freely in the bed of a vehicle, or within the vehicle causing a distraction to the driver –for example having a dog sitting in a lap of a driver.
At the Aug. 22 regular Homer City Council meeting, Council Member Heath Smith said he was torn about the ordinance.
“I understand the concern, but I also understand ‘where do we draw the line on what we’re going to legislate and regulate?’ So anyway, I just would caution us not to over regulate in areas that maybe we don’t have any business regulating. And on the other hand, how is this going to get enforced?” said Smith.
Law enforcement officers will enforce the code.
No one testified in a public hearing on the ordinance. One resident submitted letters about it.
Aderhold says she believes that the leash requirement is what people will notice most from the new ordinance. If your dog or other domesticated animal is not on your property, she says, it must now be on a leash.
Fines for animals at large now range from $50 to $200.
If a law enforcement officer finds that your dog or other domesticated animal is loose in the back of your vehicle or interfering with your ability to operate the vehicle, the fine per incident is now $75.
Editor's note: There is an exception for a domestic animal being on-leash in public places, but it is very specific. The ordinance says that an animal must be, "under competent voice control when an animal is engaged in an activity ... or form of training requiring that it not be physically confined ..."