There’s a new board in town – one that could decide the fate of your dog.
The Board of Alderman Thursday appointed three people to this new Animal Control Board, which will oversee any appeals under a new dog ordinance passed last month.
Police Chief Joel Hurliman, dog behaviorist Laura Wells and veterinarian Jim Micinilio will serve on the board, effective immediately. Hurliman and Wells live in Shelton. Micinilio, a Stratford resident, works at Countryside Veterinary Hospital in Shelton.
Wells is a nationally certified veterinary technician and a certified canine rehabilitation practitioner, according to a bio provided to the Board of Alderman. She is a Rottweiler breeder and is considered a national expert on the breed, the bio says.
Micinilio previously worked at the Beardsley Zoo in Bridgeport and at a small animal and exotic animal practice in Stratford. He is a partner at the Countryside Veterinary Hospital, where he started working in 2003.
The new dog ordinance made it possible to deem a dog vicious if it attacks other animals or people. The old ordinance dealt with roaming and nuisance dogs.
(Read a New Haven Register article about the ordinance here.)
Under the ordinance, the animal control officer can declare a dog vicious if it kills or injures a domestic animal, pet or livestock — unless the dog was protecting its owner or home. The animal control officer can then order the “vicious” dog be restrained or put down.
Residents can appeal that decision within 15 days. The new Animal Control Board will hear those appeals and determine if the dog should, in fact, be declared vicious.
At the meeting, aldermen also approved a $1,000 budget for the new board.
