Kelsey Volkmann, The Examiner
2007-04-24 07:00:00.0
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Carroll County -

Carroll commissioners have appointed a committee to make rulings when pet owners disagree with the county’s assessment that their animals are a danger to their communities.

“We wanted to improve the makeup of the board with people who are well-versed” on animal issues, said Commissioner Dean Minnich.

Commissioners recently amended their code to give them the option to appoint a board on their behalf that will hear appeals to decisions made by Nicky Ratliff, executive director of the Carroll County Humane Society.

Ratliff determines whether a dog is “vicious” and may require it to wear a muzzle, for example, or find the canine to be a public nuisance and order that it be destroyed, Ratliff said.

“The board will be better able to make professional decisions about whether the community is safe,” commissioners’ Chief of Staff Steve Powell said.

A new board may be chosen for each case, Powell said, but the first board recently formed consisted of an animal behaviorist, a veterinarian technician and a lay person.

This first board upheld Ratliff’s decision that two Rottweilers threatened their neighbors’ safety, said Ratliff, who said only a handful of residents appeal her decisions on pets.

“Most people don’t appeal the decisions,” she said. “I don’t make any of them lightly. [Destroying an animal] is a last resort and just for the people who refuse to keep their animals under control.”

Within the county’s eight municipalities, the town councils will act as appeals boards, Ratliff said.

By designating appointees, the commissioners free up their agendas and give residents more time to call witnesses and make their cases, she said.

“With a board, we have no crucial time constraints so we won’t feel rushed,” she said. “This was really instituted as a public convenience.”

kvolkmann@baltimoreexaminer.com