Ellsworth requires $25 to reclaim dog at pound

ELLSWORTH – Any dog owner whose pet is impounded by the police will have to pay $25 to get the animal back, according to a newly revised city ordinance.

Police Chief John DeLeo said the fee will help the city reclaim some of the costs associated with transporting loose, unidentified dogs to the small animal clinic on High Street, which is the customary practice for strays and pets whose owners cannot be found.

The clinic typically holds the dogs until their owners reclaim them.

The fee would be paid to the Police Department. DeLeo said he expects the change will raise about $1,000 a year for the city.

Many communities have similar requirements, he said.

In 2004, police responded to 155 animal complaints. Not all of them resulted in dogs being impounded but each required a response from a local police officer, the chief said.

“We just felt it was fair for the dog owner to reimburse the city for the time we spent,” he said Monday.

The City Council unanimously approved the new rule last week. It is one of the first revisions under the city’s plan to update all 53 of its ordinances. City Manager Stephen J. Gunty said many of the changes will be done by this fall, while others won’t be completed until early 2007.

The new fee represents the only change in the city’s animal control ordinance.