Dogs in St. Mary's must now have licenses or owners face fines

Dogs in St. Mary’s must now have a free county license or owners will face a $250 fine.

The commissioners reviewed — and approved multiple amendments — of the county’s animal control ordinance. The current ordinance was last updated in 2017.

The Department of Emergency Services, the Animal Control Advisory Board and partnering organizations began collaborating on an update in 2020 and a final revised proposal of the ordinance was voted on last November.

Emergency Services Director Jennifer Utz and Animal Control Supervisor Joy Wilson brought before the board several recommendations gleaned from a public hearing on the matter that was held April 20.

One concern from some of the 20 speakers was the fine/fee schedules, citing they could be socially exclusive.

“First I want to say that we have five of the most compassionate and empathetic animal control officers; I’d put them up against anybody I’ve ever met,” Utz said. “So I think it’s important to start with any non-compliance with the animal control ordinance starts with education, and finding a pathway for our citizens to come into compliance and correct any violations.”

She added that “the fines and fees currently exist in this ordinance and this ordinance seeks to restructure how [dog owners] go about to do that.”

The new ordinance states, “It shall be unlawful for any person or business entity to own, keep, or harbor a dog four months old, or older, without a current St. Mary’s County dog license.”

Dogs must wear a supplied tag with the license number and other information.

“A violation of this section is a civil offense and punishment by a fine not to exceed $250,” according to the new ordinance.

Utz said fees would be based on the frequency and severity of violations when citations are issued, but that offenders would no longer be required to go to court for minor infractions.

A second concern was a desire to place the “trap neuter release” program for feral cats into the ordinance, though it is already a current Animal Control policy. The department recommended keeping it as a policy to allow flexibility in making changes as needed.

“If there is a better recommendation on how we treat these feral cat colonies and how we manage them,” Utz said, “we would prefer to change the policy internally and adjust as opposed to going through a major ordinance change.”

Some public feedback showed support for allowing feeding of wild animals in public spaces like county parks.

“When we randomly put out food, we’re inviting populations of animals and wildlife into the parks,” Utz said. “And when we have our children and our families in these parks these animals are secreting on the grounds and … just a threat to our public health.”

Commissioner Eric Colvin (R) said he would like the ordinance to read no feeding on any county land. “That seems to make more sense to me,” he said, adding that feeding animals on Naval Air Station Patuxent River is already forbidden.

The new ordinance forbids feeding feral cats in county parks.

Another item suggested aligning licensing with rabies shots every three years, which the department stated state law currently mandates licenses to expire yearly, but agreed to “explore altering state legislation to address issue.”

Other issues brought up included making the county and its ordinances “unique, [and] not follow industry standards, encourage the implementation of a spay and neuter program, free rabies vaccination programs or veterinarians share information,” a five-dog requirement for a kennel license and aggressive dog language and concerns with such dogs in neighborhoods.

The commissioners will next meet next 9 a.m. Tuesday, July 23, with a public forum scheduled for 6:30 p.m. that night.