Recently there has been an increase in dog related complaints coming into our city office.  This coupled with a very recent dog attack at a nearby private residence has made it painfully obvious that people are not properly tending to their dogs within and around our community.  We have been posting information about the town’s long standing dog/animal ordinance on the back side of our water bills for the last few months in an attempt to remind animal owners that it is their responsibility to care for their pets and protect others from any harm that their pets could cause. 

Our ordinance states that as a city we can impose fines on the owners of any animal that is deemed a nuisance or a threat to public safety and that all animals must be kept in a fenced area, on a chain and within the boundaries of their owners property and cannot be allowed to roam our town at large.   

Since we as a town lack an animal control or a law enforcement officer I have been in contact with the Sheriff about this issue and am waiting for a reply as to what his department can and will do to help protect our community as a whole and to help enforce our town’s ordinance.  

Please direct all dog related issues to the city office, we have created a form that needs to be filled out with any information that is available regarding the dog’s description and if known owner information.  This documentation will be used when necessary to send out letters to the owner of the animal and to impose fines as necessary.  This documentation could also be used by our Sheriff’s office when necessary for direct contact with the animal’s owner.  

The citizens of our town should not live with the fear of a neighbor’s animal causing them harm.  We will do what we can to hold people accountable for the actions of their animals.

Thank you,

Dwane Malotte
Mayor, Town of Oak Grove