The Sunday Waxahachie Daily Light carried a letter to the editor from an Ennis resident who claimed Commissioner Bill Dodson, R-Ennis, told her that shooting stray dogs is the way to solve our uh, stray dog problem now that our sheriff’s office won’t be under any ordinance to do those duties.
Commissioner Dodson should issue a statement and either confirm or deny this allegation.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the allegation, though. For some reason it was almost too unbelievable.
‘On county leash law ruling’
To the Editor,My husband and I live outside of Ennis, in Ellis County, and have more than 100 acres. About three to four times a year we have to call the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office to come and pick up stray dogs that heartless people have dumped on our property, until today.
After a stray dog and her puppy showed up at our door last evening, we called the sheriff’s department only to find out they could no longer pick these animals up because of our Ellis County commissioners have decided there is not enough funds for them to do this. This puts a huge strain on us and I would think on others as well.
After speaking with our commisioner for our Precinct 2, it was suggested to me that we could either shoot the dogs or dump them on another county. This is an outrage. What are our tax dollars going to? Imagine there are, let’s say, 1,000 stray dogs out there and half of them are female and those females have litters and they are just roaming the countryside and there is nothing we can do about them except for shooting them ourselves? How humane is that? Neighbors will start shooting dogs, maybe one of mine, and there is nothing I can do about it. We are being punished for someone else’s problem when these heartless people drop their unwanted animals on someone else’s property and WE cannot do ANYTHING about it and have no support from our so-called commissioners, who WE voted into office and THOUGHT they were there to help and serve the public.
I would like to get a petition going from all of the register voters in Ellis County and get it to where the Ellis County Sheriff’s Office can pick up any stray animals again. The sheriffs department has always accommodated our county on this issue and they need to be able to continue with this service. If any of you wish to help, please write your county commissioner and let them know this is an outrage.
Kennette Davis,
Ennis
8 Comments
September 16, 2007 at 6:18 pm
Joey,
Please send me an e-mail. Not wanting to start a war, but I do have some questions. Unlike some people have suggested, I see the need for a site like this. Just trying to figure some things out?
September 16, 2007 at 7:20 pm
I don’t believe Dodson owes an explaination to anyone. If he has something to say, he’ll say it. If not, he won’t.
September 17, 2007 at 5:12 pm
Somebody might want to talk to the Sheriff’s Office Animal Control Guys. I here that they were told to shoot dogs as well! This has not been confirmed to me but I hear that this has been told to them but they are not following through with it seeing how that would fall under the Animal Cruelty law. You can lawfully shoot your own dog but not any others unless it is for defense of you, your livestock, or in defense of another person. I would not think that Sheriff Stewart would tell his guys to do this but stranger things have happened I guess.
September 17, 2007 at 6:21 pm
NO YOU CANT SHOOT THE DOGS. DODSON WILL KEEP THE DOGS AT HIS HOUSE IN ENNIS
September 18, 2007 at 10:07 am
Dodson doesn’t keep his own dog put up thats why he wanted the leash law gone. It look really bad when your a commisioner and dont abide by the law so you change the law for your own good.
September 18, 2007 at 11:48 am
The dog leash ordinance was not a “law.” It was a ridiculous waste of taxpayer funds to enforce. Should we pass ordinances now that restricts trash and garbage disposal?
Some things are better left with our constables or the private sector.
We’ve got drunk people walking around too, so should there be an ordinance prohibiting drunks from walking around? Until those drunks (or dogs) do any harm, then that’s a problem.
It amazes me that of such a conservative county, there are so many bigger government supporters that want to ordinance things to death.
When a governmental entity enacts an ordinance – no matter how well-reasoned it may be – there are always unintended consequences.
Learn economics and then make a decision.
September 18, 2007 at 12:36 pm
Joey there is a law against drunks roaming around. Its called “Public Intoxication”.
October 29, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Well that is sad that people dump there dogs off, I mean if they can’t keep them they should give them away to someone that would take them, that is truely sad about society. Do they have any city pounds in that county, that can come pick them up, or any shelters that would take them in.