Take Your Animals If They So Choose?

Animal control free to enter private land

By BOB ARDOIN
Special to The Advocate
Published: Nov 22, 2006

OPELOUSAS — The St. Landry Parish Council adopted an animal control and ownership ordinance  Tuesday night after adding an provision that allows animal control officers to go onto private property to seize nuisance animals.

For the past several months, the council had discussed adopting the ordinance, but issues, such as licensing fees for each animal and staffing and procedures at the parish animal control shelter, have halted any vote on the matter.

President Don Menard said Tuesday that the parish is examining lethal injections for euthanizing unadopted small animals that are picked up by animal wardens rather than the gas chamber now used.

The ordinance passed in a 10-1 vote and includes the licensing fee of $33 per animal that was proposed in the first draft of the ordinance.

Karen Mayard, who spoke prior to the ordinance vote, asked the council to include an amendment which would allow animal wardens to take unrestrained dogs or cats from the property of their owners.

Legal adviser Andrea West said state laws prevent venturing onto private property of a pet owner and seizing the animal.

She said the only way that could be done is through deputizing an animal warden who would have enforcement authority.

“If a dog is on your property or road, they could pick it up, but (wardens) cannot go on the property of the person who owns it,” West said.

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