OTTUMWA, Iowa — Ottumwa Police Officer Jeff Williams has seen dog call trends fluctuate over his 17 years in animal control, but 2024 seems to be on track to become a record year.
“We’ve always had, you know, numerous calls through the years on dog issues. But it seemed like this last, especially the last 3 or 4 months since it’s kind of got a little bit warmer, the dog calls have gone up tremendously,” said Williams.
Officer Williams estimates that about 40 to 50 percent of the dogs he picks up go unclaimed and are surrendered to the Heartland Humane Society shelter.
The fee to get a dog back once it has been picked up has gotten higher, which could be preventing people from claiming their dogs.
Officer Williams says keeping your dog restrained, vaccinated, and licensed can help prevent you from getting a ticket, even if your dog does get picked up by animal control.
“So that’s the problem. I mean, and it’s very simple for what people need to do, they love their animals, they love their dogs especially. Get it spayed or neutered for one and then get the rabies shots up to date on the dog. Very important, because in case it bites someone, the rabies quarantine at a vet is over $300 versus a $30 rabies shot. And then always get your dog license and keep the tags on the dog’s collars that they have,” Williams explained.
If a dog with no tags gets picked up, the department cannot contact the owner directly to reunite them with the dog.
Plus, the citation the owner receives will be higher, up to $345.
Another trend Officer Williams says he has noticed is a rash of pit bulls coming into Ottumwa this past year, even though there is still a pit bull ban in the city.
“It’s a criminal offense,” said Williams. “So they could be arrested and placed in jail for that. So the biggest thing is pit bulls just need to be removed from the city and to get that part educated out there that it’s still illegal.”
The last issue Officer Williams deals with more often than he would like to is neglect.
Officer Williams urges neighbors to call their department if they notice animal neglect or abuse for further investigation.
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