October 4, 2024
By: Dwayne Page
Sheriff Patrick Ray said he wants to clear up some confusion about the pickup of aggressive dogs in the county.
“In this 2024-25 budget, the county gave the DeKalb Animal Coalition $36,805 as a contribution. The county also pays the animal coalition $110 to $120 per pickup for each aggressive dog,” said Sheriff Ray. “The only dogs the county picks up are aggressive dogs so if someone has an aggressive stray dog in their neighborhood, they need to call the dispatch line at 615-215-3000 and tell the dispatcher there is an aggressive stray dog around their house and one of the deputies will come down (respond). That has to be approved through either someone with the sheriff’s department or the county mayor’s office on aggressive dogs only,” he said.
“The county does not pick up stray dogs. If the deputy goes down there and finds that the dog is aggressive, we will get the animal coalition to pick it up and they (animal coalition) will charge the county $110 to $120 per pickup. If the dog is found to be non-aggressive then the county will not pick it up. That will be between whoever the complainant is and the animal coalition to determine if the animal coalition will take the animal,” Sheriff Ray explained.
“So, for aggressive dogs, call central dispatch at 615-215-3000. If it is not an aggressive dog, then the complainant will need to call the animal coalition to see if they will take the dog. The complainant will be responsible for transporting that dog to the animal coalition. The county will not pay for that,” said Sheriff Ray.