Problem With Dogs Running Loose In Monterey? City Says Call The Police

If you live in Monterey and have an issue with dogs running at large, you need to call the police in order to handle the problem.

Vice Mayor Starlett Wessels voiced her frustration with the lack of leash law compliance earlier this week. She asked if the city could hire a certified animal control officer for handling the issue, but Police Chief Bill Randolph said the city previously tried that.

“What he did, we needed somebody we could use to tranquilize aggressive animals,” Randolph said. “But the state came back said, ‘No. I don’t care what kind of training you’ve got. The only one that’s legal to do that is a veterinarian.’ So we done away with that. We still have the gun, the darts and medicine, but we just haven’t used it. We haven’t encountered a situation where we’ve needed it lately.”

Randolph said officers already work animal control during their shifts and respond to several calls about dogs running loose.

“We normally will give them (owners) a warning,” Randolph said. “If we get another call, we’ll issue them a citation. About 75-percent of the time, for some reason the dog doesn’t belong to them anymore. We end up taking it and holding it at the police department until someone can take it to the pound. ”

Alderman JJ Reels agreed with Wessels that the city had an issue with dogs running at large. He said a woman on Poplar Street continues to have problems with a group of dogs near her home.

“The thing that concerns me is that she can’t even go out of her house without being afraid that she’s going to get bit,” Reels said. “There are kids that catch the school bus over there that are scared for their lives because they’re afraid the dogs are going to bite them.”

Chief Randolph said he had not yet received a call about that particular problem. The board agreed that residents should contact the police department if they have a problem with dogs running at large.

“Unless someone complains either to the chief or to Ella, nothing can be done,” Alderman Charles Looper said. “They have to make a complaint or nothing can be done.”