By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
A little girl was attacked by a dog in Mona, and the city council is hoping that the new amount they will pay the county sheriff's office will help pay for lenforcement of the city's ordinances.
"I know how this would be handled in Spanish Fork," said Jeff Smith, council member.
The first time, a vicious dog would be picked up and quarantined for rabies. The second time, the dog would be picked up and would be put down.
In both cases the dog owner would be fined.
If the little girl had been hurt badly, said Smith, there could have been a lawsuit.
"My sheep don't run around town blatting," he said.
He said that dogs should not run around town barking and attacking people.
"One dog roaming is a stray and two dogs roaming is a pack," he said.
Frank Riding said that the city did not have an animal control officer like Nephi did.
However, said Greg Newton, mayor, the city had agreed to pay $10,000 to the sheriff's office for more law enforcement and, once all of the city ordinances had been codified, the sheriff's deputies could go to the home, issue them a ticket and they could go see the county judge.
In addition, if any dog owner owned more than three dogs, they needed a kennel license.
The city also had a leash law and the county sheriff's deputies could help enforce that ordinance.
Newton said that if the dog owners had to pay fines several times for an animal that was roaming around, they would stop letting the animals run loose.
