07/02/2018
Hello all. I hope everyone is staying cool today. I just wanted to take the time and give an update on the animal neglect case we are currently working on. Please keep in mind that this is an ongoing investigation so I will not be able to give too many details. Last Thursday evening, I took a call from a resident regarding a dead dog in town. I had the officer who was working that evening go by and check it out and unfortunately, the dog had died while tethered up. Over the past couple of years, we received numerous calls from concerned residents, especially this past winter. Each time we received a call, an officer went to investigate. Most of the time, the calls that came in stated that the dog had no food or water available, and available. K.S.A. 47-1701 requires that food must be made available to the dog/s every 24 hours and that fresh, potable water must be supplied at intervals not to exceed every 12 hours. Without constantly checking the situation and recording each time the dog was fed and watered, there was no practical way to be sure of when the dog was fed and watered. Each time our Officers attempted a surprise visit, there was adequate food and water and shelter. This is not to say there wasn't any concerns but, according to statute, we felt that there was nothing more we could do. There have been no reports over the past several months and each time we drove past the house, it appeared that both of the dogs were being taken care of. That is of course until last Thursday. This tragedy has shaken me and the rest of the Officers to our core. We have all been out with the dog multiple times so we are taking this personally. Laverna Grey, our Assistant City Clerk and Cheryl Miller, our newly elected City Council Member have been working on revamping our Animal Ordinance. This will be a very broad and sweeping change that will force accountability to pet owners and help take some of the restrictions off of the Officers investigating neglect. I realize that for this dog it is too late and for that I am deeply saddened. However, when the new changes are made, this should never happen again. As for this case, when all of the paperwork is completed, I will present the case to the City Attorney. Please be patient and when I have more information to pass along, I will. Thank you. Chief Hollingsworth
