Dogs to have day in court

Bedford County Board of Commissioners voted Tuesday night to adopt Article X of the proposed animal control regulations -- the part dealing specifically with dangerous dogs -- but to defer action on the rest of the document pending further study and public input.

The proposed regulations have been reviewed for legality by various officials, but County Attorney John T. Bobo said the commissioners need to study them closely and make sure that what they do is what the commissioners want done. And commissioners have questions about the document.

Commissioner Jimmy Woodson raised the hypothetical example of two adjoining farmers who don't mind their animals wandering onto each other's property. Could a third party, hoping to cause trouble, file a complaint if Farmer Brown's dog is on Farmer Smith's property, even though Farmer Smith has no objection?

Commissioner J.D. "Bo" Wilson noted that a rabid dog can be quarantined at the owner's expense for up to six months, and said such regulations could turn expensive for pet owners.

Animal Control Director Michael Gregory said that it's the health department which sets guidelines for when a dog should be quarantined and noted that home quarantine is possible in some cases. But Wilson still said the law leaves the door open for pet owners to be unfairly overcharged.

County Mayor Eugene Ray noted that even when the rules are passed, they can always be adjusted if problems arise.

Commissioner Phillip Vincent said that town meetings should be held before the rules are finalized -- not after, as someone else had suggested earlier -- in order to give the public a chance to comment on the rules.

Commissioner Mark Thomas had made an original motion to pass the rules as submitted. Woodson amended that motion to pass only Article X and defer the rest of the document for 30 days. Thomas accepted the amendment, which became the main motion and was passed by the commissioners.

Because breed-specific legislation, such as banning pit bull dogs, has been challenged in court, the "dangerous dogs" portion of the animal control rules is complaint-driven. If a dangerous or threatening incident occurs, leading the animal control officer to believe that a particular dog poses a risk to the public, he can take the matter to General Sessions Court, which has the power to declare the animal dangerous. If that happens, the owner must comply with a list of regulations, including keeping the dog in a proper enclosure and completing a training class with the dog. The owner will have to obtain a "Beware of Dangerous Dog" sign from Animal Control and post it. The dog must wear a special identifying collar and be implanted with a microchip to identify it. The owner will have to pay an annual fee to cover the expense incurred by animal control in enforcing these regulations. At a previous committee meeting, Gregory said that fee could be $150 per year. The regulations will transfer to any new owner of the dog, and any change in ownership must be reported to Animal Control.

In other action Tuesday night, commissioners approved budget amendments for Bedford County Emergency Management Agency. The first allows BCEMA to spend money it received in disaster reimbursement; the second is to cover purchase of new air conditioning units for the BCEMA headquarters on Eagle Boulevard.

Commissioners also approved the sale of surplus equipment by Bedford County Animal Control.

They deferred action on a proposal to exempt transfer of land from a parent to a child from subdivision regulations; the legality of this is still being studied.