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Blue Earth ups loose dog fines

BLUE EARTH — Blue Earth City Council has increased animal regulation fines in an effort to address concerns over unleashed dogs.

The council first began discussing how to better deal with unleashed and unlicensed dogs in April. Possible solutions suggested by council members included increasing fines, stepping up enforcement and increasing regulations for dogs running at large.

City Attorney David Frundt spoke Monday about the different ways the city could regulate dogs running at large.

One concern stated at a previous council meeting was dogs being unleashed while on a private owner’s property, with nothing restraining the dog from leaving the property or assuring residents passing the property that the dog would not chase or attack them.

Frundt said most cities in Minnesota do not have laws that regulate dogs when they are on a private owner’s property.

“Most of them are pretty close to what we have in place,” he said.

The council also discussed increasing the city’s animal regulation fines as a solution to the problem.

The fines for animals running at large, barking, animal damage to property and animal waste would be set at a progressive rate, with the original fine starting at $50 and increasing by $50 with each additional offense.

The fine for releasing impounded animals, which was already set at a progressive rate with $20 and going up by $20 with each offense, would be changed to $25.

The council approved the amended fees and rates.

Council member Russ Erichsrud said setting the fines at progressive rates is a step in the right direction when it comes to educating residents that they need to be responsible for their pets.

“There’s so many people that are deathly afraid of dogs, and they’ll start down the sidewalk and will have to turn around and take a different route,” he said. “That should not have to happen. That’s why we need people to understand rules and regulations and we’re going to do that through fines.”

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