The City of Jefferson now has a revamped quarantine policy for the Community Animal Shelter.
City Administrator Scott Peterson says the amended policy kicks in whenever there is an animal bites on humans, commonly from dogs, or if there is aggressive action between two dogs. He tells Raccoon Valley Radio if a canine is required to be in quarantine, they must stay within that designated area of the shelter for ten days, which the policy spells out exactly what is happening during that time. He describes the other area that was changed within the policy.
“Becuase they do need to pay the daily fee out there at the animal shelter, as well as the vet(ernarian) fees that are associated with that. The fees that would be paid, it’s $200 for the ten day stay out at the animal shelter, plus the vet services is $60. So, it’s $260 that needs to be paid up front.”
Peterson notes that there are additional fees that could also apply, including being current on rabies vaccinations and having the animal microchipped, which is an efficient way of finding the pet’s owner. He also urges people to get their dog licensed if they haven’t already, which he believes is at a very low participation rate.
“But it’s still important to do that because even if it is then that you’ve just got your license and you’ve got the dog tag on it, we can follow that number back and find lost animals, that type of stuff. It truly is impactful for the community. But the other thing that you know has happened if you dog was licensed, the dog has had its rabies vaccination.”
Click the link below to see the quarantine policy that the City Council approved at their September meeting.