Akron owners demand harder extreme canine barking ordinance

AKRON, Ohio — Althea Thomas and Shelia Smith are long-time Akron owners who report they’ve needed to take care of extreme canine barking, dogs operating free and extreme canine odors for years of their neighborhood.

Both Thomas and Smith are demanding the City of Akron transfer ahead with a harder canine nuisance ordinance, which metropolis leaders report has been into account since 2018.

Smith advised News 5 that she and different Akron Homeowners are in assist of a brand new ordinance proposed by Ward 4 Akron Councilman Russel Neal, which requires canine house owners to deliver dogs into their houses if they’re excessively barking late at night time or into the early morning hours.

“Between midnight and eight within the morning, if these dogs are barking, they need to be in the home with their proprietor, not exterior the place they will disturb the residents,” Smith stated. “Our privacy is being violated. When I talked to the prosecutor, they were saying this is a victim-less crime. We are victims in our own private property.”

Thomas told News 5 she’s been dealing with dogs barking at all hours and running loose in her neighborhood for several years.

“Our city officials, they need to take it seriously, if it was beside your home, what would you do, Thomas said. “With my nieces and nephews, they can no longer come to my home and be there unless someone is outside.”

Akron owners Marie Reed and Jeff Smith consider irresponsible canine house owners are jeopardizing neighborhood security.

“There are school buses that drop off and pick up school children daily. There is also persons with disabilities in the neighborhood,” Smith stated. “We haven’t been able to use our backyard for picnics for family events for over five years because of the smell,” Reed stated.

News 5 has determined to not identify the canine house owners who neighbors allege have not been accountable with their pets. Within the approaching weeks, Councilman Neal stated he hopes to reintroduce the canine nuisance ordinance he helped to craft again in March of 2021.

Neal stated he is wanting into attempting so as to add harder penalties for canine house owners who’re repeat violators, which might embrace 30 days in jail and a $250 nice if the proprietor is convicted in courtroom.

“We thought that if we enhance the penalty that folks could be extra conscious of the complaints, the hope is to place one thing in place that’s enforceable,” Neal stated. “Imagine if you were living next to someone whose dog is barking constantly, doesn’t clean up after the dog so you have to smell the odor.”

Neal advised News 5 that town canine warden’s workplace is doing the most effective it may well with simply two part-time wardens for the complete metropolis.

Meanwhile, Thomas is hoping harder penalties for violators will quickly be on the way in which, regardless that she and her neighbors understand the overwhelming majority of canine house owners do a superb job caring for his or her pets.

“Dogs don’t pay property taxes. We’re those paying property taxes, so once more, it’s nothing private about dogs, however when the house owners don’t maintain their dogs, that’s an issue,” Thomas stated. “So we are able to have a peace of thoughts, and we are able to relaxation, we are able to come out and I can backyard in my yard, I can’t do this.”