Proposed Pender County ordinance aims to boost animal welfare
PENDER COUNTY, NC (WWAY) — This summer, a Pender County woman reported her dog missing, only to learn she’s not alone.
Melissa Williams’ pit bull mix ‘Koda’ disappeared in July. Since then, she says she’s heard from others in the community whose dogs have also gone missing. Most of them, she says, are bully breed mixes.
Williams fears the disappearances could be tied to organized animal crime or even a dog fighting ring.
“It makes me feel scared for the community, it makes me feel like there’s just not enough, there’s not enough being done to help these dog,” says Williams.
That is why Williams has written a proposed ordinance she calls ‘Koda’s law’. It would apply extra precautions for pets, such as requiring mandatory microchip scanning.
“Koda’s Law is requiring that shelters, vets, groomers, trainers, stuff like that, every animal facility and entity scan a dog. And if there’s any dogs in the area that are missing and they’re in their data base, that they need to flag it and they need to notify police or law enforcement within 24 hours,” stated Williams.
Pender County Commissioner Jimmy Tate says he is deeply concerned to hear about the missing dogs and is heartbroken to know this is happening in the community.
“This is devastating, people’s pets are their, animals are their children in regards, and we need to do whatever to protect them,” said Tate.
Tate says, as a fellow dog lover, he wants the county to get involved.
“I believe that the county have an obligation to look into this matter, to work with or Sherriff’s Office to see what other resources can be helped identify.”
With numerous pets still missing, including her own dog ‘Koda,’ Williams hopes her ordinance can traction and lead to stronger protections for pets.
Williams has created a petition to get her ordinance passed and hopes to spread the word throughout the Cape Fear area. The link to the petition is attached at the bottom of this story.
