Protect People and Animals

To protect your family and your pets, Animal Services recommends simple yet important steps you can take:

• Supervise children at all times with dogs, most importantly when friends are visiting. It may be best to have dogs safely confined away from childhood activity.

• Make sure doors and gates latch securely. Be sure everyone in the house is conscientious about carefully closing gates and doors.

• Dogs that chew through fences or jump over fences will continue to do so after repairs are made. Keep escape-driven dogs safe in the house or in a kennel with a roof.

• If you see a stray dog, go inside until you are sure the dog is gone or someone has removed it. Bring pets inside. Call Animal Control or your local law enforcement.

• Cat owners: Inside cats won’t face the dangers of the streets if you keep them safe inside your home. Cats are also subject to the same laws that control other animals roaming at large.

• Learn to identify dog breeds and the characteristics that are often attributed to certain breeds. For example, terriers chase other animals and working dogs can be very territorial.

• Understand dog behavior in general. Dogs are aggressive for different reasons: protective of home, possessive of food or other items or spaces, defensive of people, other dogs or both. Some aggression is dominance and some is fear. Learn the signals dogs use to let you know they may react by biting.

• Dog owners: Understand the laws. There are local, county and state laws with harsh penalties when your dog engages in aggressive behavior. You may face large fines, even arrest. Your dog may be seized.

These suggestions are intended to keep our people and our animals living safely in our

community. Thank you for your help!