At yesterday’s board of County Commission meeting, the Upshur County, West Virginia Commissioners approved an ordinance to address at-large and dangerous dogs in the county.
The new ordinance (see previous alert) includes new definitions for “public nuisance” and “vicious” dogs. As requested by AKC and local club members, the approved ordinance does eliminate “dog scratches” from the definition. Further, the ordinance allows discretion by animal control in determining if a dog is vicious and clarifies that a declaration may not be breed-specific.
While AKC appreciates the exemption for any vaccinated dog engaged in lawful hunting, training, herding, or farm-related activities being exempt from the running at large portion of the ordinance, we remain concerned with provisions that allow at-large dogs to be sold or euthanized if not claimed in 5 days and the requirement of payment for costs before an animal may be reclaimed.
AKC thanks all those who reached out to the Board of Commissioners to comment on the ordinance and encourages you to pay attention to how certain provisions are implemented and enforced so any recommended changes can be suggested to the Board of Commissioners.
AKC Government Relations will continue to monitor proposals that may impact responsible dog owners in West Virginia and ask for your help with monitoring any actions at the local level. For more information, contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org.