When La Plata County residents outside municipal boundaries call in a dog-barking complaint, they get the same response: There\u2019s nothing we can do.<\/p>\n
About 25 Humane Society officials, residents and county commissioners met Tuesday afternoon to discuss the county\u2019s lack of regulations when it comes to handling nuisance barking as well as animal cruelty \u2013 and the potential $200,000 cost to address it.<\/p>\n
Most people who attended were primarily concerned with remedying barking issues.<\/p>\n
Last year, there were 321 reported barking complaints in the city. The La Plata County Humane Society issued only two citations. Warnings are fairly effective, animal-protection officials said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe success rate is fifty-fifty depending on who you give them to and how much they care,\u201d Supervisor of Animal Protection Travis Woehrel said. \u201cA fine is enough to scare some, while others think it\u2019s easier to pay rather than go the long road to keep a dog from barking. We issue very few citations because neighbors don\u2019t want to be involved. They don\u2019t want to hear it, but they also don\u2019t want to show up in court.\u201d<\/p>\n
But the real problem is that La Plata County has no code to enforce, and that sometimes leads to false reports of animal cruelty.<\/p>\n
\u201cDispatch knows there\u2019s no law being broken,\u201d Woehrel said. \u201cIf the people are adamant about it, dispatch calls us. We say we\u2019re sorry, but there is no probable cause for us to go to the address if no crime is being committed. Some of those complaints then turn into, \u2018Well, I don\u2019t think the dog has food or water.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Woehrel estimated three to five cases turn into a cruelty complaint per week.<\/p>\n
In some cases, residents also lack homeowners associations to put in place rules for dog owners.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe main problem is when owners leave them outside when they leave for work, run errands, go on vacation or go away for the weekends, out-of-sight, out-of-mind,\u201d Forest Lakes resident Sally MacDowell complained in an open letter. \u201cCalling the sheriff\u2019s office does no good. \u2018We do not respond to barking dogs,\u2019 is the rote refrain in Forest Lakes, and there is no homeowners association to put pressure on or fine barking-dog owners. All windows must be kept closed in order to hear your own TV or to sleep at night.\u201d<\/p>\n
La Plata County Sheriff\u2019s Office contracts an officer to work a daily shift. If Animal Protection wanted to double its officers and add equipment, the county could be looking at a figure in the ballpark of $200,000, Animal Protection Director Chris Nelson said.<\/p>\n
Nelson was most concerned with measures to prevent animal cruelty.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople expect the Humane Society and Animal Protection to be looking out for them,\u201d Nelson said. \u201cThese guys need the tools necessary to prosecute.\u201d<\/p>\n
The district attorney could hire a special prosecutor to handle animal cases, but Assistant District Attorney Christian Champagne says the solution is simple.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is already a system where officers prosecute their own cases,\u201d he said. \u201cThe animal-cruelty portion of regulation probably wouldn\u2019t add much to the case load, but barking dogs would. Have the officers come to court and simply deliver the facts, and the judge will decide.\u201d<\/p>\n
But expanding Humane Society resources could come with sacrifices in other areas of the budget. The county had a preliminary conversation on the topic in early summer, but the Gold King Mine spill on Aug. 5 became a distraction, officials said. Commissioner Julie Westendorff said the commission doesn\u2019t intend to prolong the process any more than necessary.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan I envision something happening by the end of the year? Maybe not. We\u2019re getting ready to get into budget discussions,\u201d she said. \u201cBut I do not expect this to be a two-year thing.\u201d<\/p>\n