The City of St. Joseph Health Department Animal Control and Rescue division is seeking public input on a proposed ordinance before it is presented to the members of the City Council.

The ordinance, titled “Unlawful Restraint of a Dog,” has been deemed necessary by Animal Control and Rescue officers’ field observations and statements made by concerned citizens.

As previously reported, several St. Joseph residents spoke at a city council meeting in January to urge council members to consider regulations on tethering pets. The residents voiced concerns about pets being left outside for long periods of time in extreme temperatures without proper shelter, the need for regulation of tethering and enforcement of regulation and the need for animal safety education.

According to a press release from the City of St. Joseph Health Department, the language presented in the survey is exactly as it has been written to be presented to City Council. It has been broken into sections for the public to more easily comment on the document. The survey should take participants 10 to 20 minutes to complete and will be available for public comment through Sunday, July 1.

The survey is available online at surveymonkey.com/r/PublicCommentStJoeDogRestraintOrdinance.

Those who wish to participate, but do not have electronic access can take the survey at the City of St. Joseph Health Department at 904 South 10th Street between 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or at the Animal Control and Rescue Shelter at 701 Lake Avenue.

Survey responses will be collected and the ordinance reviewed and possibly amended after the public comment period closes. The ordinance will then be submitted to City Council for consideration.