Ashley Honeycutt, office manager at the Muncie Animal Shelter, said there is an urgent need for the ordinance.
“Just this past winter, and even last year, we had a really cold winter,” Honeycutt said. “We had removed so many dogs that were left out in conditions they shouldn’t have been left out in.”
Honeycutt said the ordinance came to the shelter’s attention when Indianapolis passed a similar law. She said it was something they have wanted to see for a while, and the Indianapolis law gave hope that the same type of policy could happen in Muncie.
Honeycutt said the shelter has seen dogs with frostbite, dogs who have to have legs amputated and, in severe cases, dogs who have frozen to death from being in extreme cold.
When first introduced, the ordinance was dropped due to public backlash. Honeycutt said this was because people did not read the full proposal.
“A lot of people viewed it as we were trying to be controlling,” Honeycutt said. “A lot of people are really sort of closed minded, unfortunately, and you’ll hear it all the time: ‘It’s just a dog.’”
This ordinance would not give the shelter the power to take dogs. The owners would have the chance to correct the issue, and the shelter would provide certain resources to help. There are multiple steps in the proposal before the animal would be taken.
The animal shelter plans to introduce the bill at the next city and county council in May. Honeycutt said the main issue in the last bill was the wording, which will be clearer in future proposals.
Until then, the shelter will continue to ensure animal safety the best way it can, but Honeycutt said there’s only so much the organization can do.
“We’re kind of limited in what we can do,” Honeycutt said. “We can give the owners a chance to correct the problem, but we can’t just remove the dog and not give it back.”
Honeycutt said she’s hopeful the ordinance will be passed if the proposal is reworded. A reworded proposal could show the animal shelter is not trying to overstep its reach, but simply trying to ensure the safety of dogs in the area.
“We just want to make sure they’re safe and kept out of those temperatures,” Honeycutt said. “It is just kind of sad we need an ordinance for that.”
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