Featured Photograph: Animal Control officer Teri Courvelle discusses the ordinance. (Photograph by Bobby Ardoin.)
BOBBY ARDOIN
Editor/Contributing Writer
A proposed St. Landry Parish animal control ordinance introduced at a public hearing Tuesday night is aimed primarily at licensing small animal breeders that parish president Jessie Bellard says require tighter regulation.
Bellard said during a meeting at the Delta Grand that the ordinance which has not been formally introduced to parish council members, intends to provide parish officials greater latitude in order to inspect parish breeding operations which in some cases have been negligent in providing safe environments for the animals they are attempting to sell.
Parish elected officials have discussed the passage of a revised animal control ordinance for over two years, but the document originally created with the assistance of the District Attorney’s Office has not been discussed in detail by council members.
The ordinance which will be considered for passage perhaps as early as September, is currently available for public inspection on the parish government website, Bellard said.
Bellard added however that the ordinance will not be considered for final approval until parish government hosts a series of subsequent public hearings this month in other areas of the parish.
Seeking Inspection Authority
“Right now (animal control officers) don’t have the authority to go onto the property if there is a complaint. What we want to do is have an ordinance in place which gives (parish inspection) a mechanism that gets us onto the property and see if the animals are being taken care of properly. That’s our main concern,” Bellard said.
The ordinance as it is currently written prohibits animal breeders from operating in St. Landry without first obtaining a license from parish government.
In order to obtain the license, small animal breeders would agree to be regulated and inspected by parish animal control officers.
Bellard told those attending the meeting that at this point he feels the parish does not have a serious problem with breeders who are neglecting the animals that are being sold for profit.
Parish animal control workers can respond to animal complaints, but the enforcement authority rests with the St. Landry Parish Sheriff’s Department, said Bellard.
Spaying and Neutering
Jeanie Casanova who attended the meeting, told Bellard the proposed ordinance fails to include provisions for spaying and neutering small animals.
Casanova said the dog and cat populations inside the parish are continuing to rise due to uncontrolled births.
“Right now there are not enough homes available to handle the problem. We can fix this so easily,” Casanova said.
Some who attended the meeting suggested that in order to retrieve a small animal that has been picked up or placed at the parish animal shelter, spaying and neutering of the animal should be required as a way of reducing the unwanted pet population.
Municipal Animal Control
Bellard said the animal shelter operated with parish government funding, assists municipal governments with handling stray animal issues.
Parish government Bellard said, is not obligated to go inside the corporate limits of municipalities to handle animal control matters.
Bellard said parish government provides food for animals housed at municipal animal shelters until the animals are transported to the parish facility.
Those at the meeting complimented the Port Barre municipal animal shelter for the care of stray animals at that facility.
Animal control officer Teri Courvelle added that one of the major problems for stray animals is Melville. Courvelle said parish government often responds to complaints about feral dogs roam throughout the town there.
Animal Attacks
George Davy, an Opelousas resident who attended the meeting, said he was attacked by a vicious dog recently while walking through an Opelousas residential neighborhood.
Davy provided photographs of his injuries as he was recuperating from a battle with a pit bull that Davy said had been left at a residence after the person living there had been evicted by a landlord.
After his recovery Davy said he was denied a chance by Opelousas Mayor Julius Alsandor to present before the Opelousas Board of Aldermen, an account of the pit bull attack.
“Animal control (from the city) did come and the dog was picked up and quarantined. I wanted to get on the agenda to speak at a Board of Aldermen meeting, but I was denied that opportunity by the mayor. The mayor said I should meet with him personally and we would fix the problem face to face,” said Davy.
Parish Council member Wayne Ardoin said he would attend a Board of Aldermen meeting with Davy if Davy still wanted to discuss the dog attack publicly with city officials.
