Dothan Animal Control Committee meets for first time

A local pet owner said she understands some people have little regard for cats, but no cats or dogs have ever damaged her personal property. Children, on the other hand, have.

“I don’t like most people’s kids, but I don’t suggest we just herd them up and gas them,” said Gail Vaughn, who regularly feeds and waters cat colonies. “The solution is mandatory spay and neutering ... People are the problem, not the little animals.”

Roaming cats and dangerous dogs dominated the first hour of discussions of the newly formed Dothan Animal Control Committee, on its maiden journey Monday night to draft a new animal control ordinance.

The group didn’t make much headway in editing a draft version released in December, as community comments often steered them off course from the task of going through the draft page-by-page.

Stalling on the definition of “at large” as it pertains to cats, committee member Alice Thompson, a veterinarian who only treats cats, said a cat can jump an 8-foot fence and just about crawl through anything.

“Cats are outdoor creatures,” she said. “To make it a law that it should be confined or on a lease, is just not practical.”

Committee member Virginia Denney said she has seen a cat on a leash. “My problem with cats is all my neighbors have cats and they live at my house, not their house. They destroy flower beds, screens on my door, and leave drippings behind. Every time I let my dog out, there is a cat there.”

Yet Denney said she is being an irresponsible dog owner if the dog barks at the cats, which are at large.

Committee member Carla Breckenridge suggested there be language to allow cats to be free within a certain radius of the pet owner’s home.

There was also some discussion on restricting the number of cats or dogs allowed per household. Roger Smith suggested people be required to pay a fee for ownership of more than a certain number. Some members objected to that idea.

Several members wanted to change the definition of “dangerous dog” and remove the word “breed,” so as not to say that some dogs might be dangerous simply because of its breed.
“It matters not to me what kind of dog it is,” committee chairman and city commissioner John Craig said. “If it is a Chihuahua, if that rascal is trying to bite me ... it’s dangerous.”

Committee member Anna Muldoon brought in copies of various animal ordinances with language that might be better suited to the city’s ordinance.

The committee will continue to meet at 6 p.m. on Mondays at the Doug Tew Community Center.