Loose Dogs Remain Problem For Bourbon

Loose dogs remain a problem for the city of Bourbon, with seemingly no good answers in sight.

Council members discussed the issue during the April 18 meeting. 

“I’m concerned about our inability to do anything about these dogs,” said Ward 2 Alderwoman Mary Heywood, who added that the city needed to do something to “put some teeth” into their animal control ordinance.

A nonprofit — the Bourbon Animal Care & Control Operation — has been established to eventually assist the city, but council members expressed frustration that repeat offenders aren’t taking any corrective actions.

The issue has been on the council’s doorstep for more than a year now.

In April 2023, Michelle Reynolds Gray, owner of the Bourbon Cafe & Coffee Saloon, was attacked by a loose pitbull. 

Gray’s husband, Dan, shared the story with the council later that month. The council eventually passed an ordinance to require that dogs wear tags and owners receive fines.

In January, the council was told that offenders were simply paying the fine and moving on, not even stopping their dog from running loose or without a tag.

The city’s fine is maxed out.

Heywood was mayor when the city established a shelter in the early 2000s. The shelter was a fenced-in pen with a cover, but a complaint with the Humane Society forced its shutdown.

“We need a temporary shelter like we used to have,” Heywood said. “We could make a point of impounding some of these dogs and their owners have to pay to come get them.”

It was unclear what the city would do with the dogs if they are abandoned by their owners at the shelter, though.

Heywood still feels a shelter is a good solution, but state laws require adequate shelter, including proper conditions of sanitation and ventilation.

“I thought adding a fenced area with a house and tarp over it, with food and water, was better than having them run on the street and get hit by cars.”