7/22/13 - The Livingston County Board of Commissioners has approved a new fee for pet owners who do not follow rabies quarantine protocols after a bite. After a dog or cat bites someone, the protocol is to quarantine the animal from other people and animals for ten days. This can be done at the animalâs home. However, at the end of that waiting period, the owner is supposed to bring the animal in to Animal Control for examination. If it shows no signs of rabies, the bite victim can be assured the disease has not been transmitted by the bite. Unfortunately, some pet owners fail to bring the animal in for examination, which means Animal Control personnel have to go out to the animalâs home and examine it there. To encourage compliance and recoup the cost of the house calls, the County Board authorized a $50 fee last week for pet owners who do not bring their pet in for examination after the 10-day quarantine. This covers the wages and vehicle expenses associated with the home visit. The fee can be avoided completely by bringing the animal in for examination, which is free and takes less than five minutes. Rabies is usually fatal if untreated, and although it is rare and usually transmitted by bats, humans can contract the disease from any mammal larger than a small rodent. (TD)
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