Pet Corner
Responsible Pet Ownership
Your courtesy will be appreciated. Please be considerate when walking your pets within our neighborhood. Getting dog poop on your shoe, or having your dog sniff it up close (or eat it!) is nasty but many people are unaware that all dogs harbor coliform bacteria in their gut; e.g. E. Coli, salmonella and guardia (please read USA Today), all which pose a threat to pets as well as humans. Water runoff containing coliform bacteria from dog feces can pump unhealthy bacteria into our water system when pet owners don't pick up.
Sec. 462.301. General. (b) Whenever an animal defecates upon any property not owned, leased, rented, or otherwise in the care, custody, or control of the animal's owner, the animal's owner shall immediately remove and properly dispose of feces. The only exception is by permission of the property owner.
Jacksonville also has a leash law. It is unlawful to allow pets of any type (including cats) to run at large in the City of Jacksonville. Animals found at large are considered to be so with the permission of their owner. Violators can be fined up to $250 dollars FOR EACH separate occasion.
Sec. 462.303. Animals at Large prohibited. (b) A violation of this section shall subject the violator to a civil fine of Two Hundred Fifty Dollars. Each separate occasion is considered a separate violation. The animal control officer may cite the owner of such animal(s) for violation of this section when either the animal control officer has received, from at least two unrelated adult witnesses from different residences, a sworn affidavit attesting to the animal's having committed a nuisance pursuant to this section, or the citing animal control officer has witnessed the commission of such a nuisance.
The Jacksonville Florida Animal Control Code provides ordinances concerning excessive noise and habitual nuisances, such as car chasing, garbage diving or running at large. You can submit a complaint by calling the City of Jacksonville Information and Service hotline at 630-2489. An incidence of excessive noise is described by the ordinance as lasting 30 minutes or more. An habitual nuisance means two separate incidences within one month, or at least three 30-minute incidences within eight hours. In order for a citation to be issued, an animal control officer must witness the offense, or must receive sworn affidavits from two unrelated adult witnesses from different residences. You can download the affidavit and instructions here.
Call 630-CITY or go online to report violations and other animal-related issues such as:
• Animal at Large
• Animal Nuisance
• Animal Cruelty
• Animal in Distress
• Animal Bite
An Animal Code Enforcement Officer will be dispatched to investigate and address the issue.
Animal Care and Protective Services
2020 Forest St.
Jacksonville, FL 32204
(904) 630-CITY (2489)
E-mail: jaxpets@coj.net
Lost or Found Pets
Please take a minute to be SURE your pet is well identified. His/her life could depend on this and your pet will thank if they should ever go missing.
- Be SURE all your pets are wearing a collar with up-to-date tags (cats, too!). You can even get pet ID tags made while you wait at most of the large pet store chains. Don't forget to have new tags made if you move or change your phone number!
- It is BEST to also have your pet MICROCHIPPED (a virtually painless procedure which uses a needle to insert a chip about the size of a grain of rice into the area between your pet's shoulder blades). This chip is registered online and can be scanned by most veterinarians and shelters, giving your pet a much better chance of being returned to you in the event that his/her collar becomes lost.
HELP US HELP YOU by having Emergency Information on your pet ready to go in case you should need it. Time is important when your pet goes missing and having this ready to go will help speed things up.
- Have a good current photo of your pet which shows the pets color, size and any unusual markings if possible.
- You should have a description of your pet already written out. We have found that when a pet goes missing, the owner's brain cells become lost, too! So, do it NOW while you can think clearly and are not pressed for time.
Steps to take when you lose (or find) a pet!
Email us right away with as much information as you can about your pet. Include your first and last name, phone numbers, street address and a photo of your pet if possible. We will send out an alert to the neighborhood with the photo, description and the vicinity where the pet was last seen.
- Walk, ride a bicycle or drive slowly through the neighborhood (with your windows open) several times each day. Whistle a few times, then call your pet's name twice and then carefully listen and look. Do this often. Your pet may be injured, frightened or trapped and unable to come to you. Hearing your voice may encourage your pet to answer you. After you call their name, remain in one place long enough for your pet to find you.
- Leave items with a familiar scent outside your home. A litter box, pet bed or a sweatshirt recently worn by a loved one can attract a pet who has strayed and become disorientated.
- Most lost cats tend to stay in the general vicinity from which they disappeared. It is rare that they would wander out of the immediate neighborhood, unless they were recently moved. Be patient and creative in your search.
- A lost dog will tend to travel into the oncoming wind. This should be your first direction of search.
- Visit nearby vets, groomers, pet stores, etc. to see if they have your pet, know who might or will put up a flyer for you. Ask neighbors, letter carriers and delivery people if they have seen your pet. Print and hand out lost pet sheets with your pet's photo and your phone number.
- Be sure to check the area shelters in person for your pet. Vaccination records will be needed to prove ownership of the pet if it is there.
- After you find your pet, report back to all the facilities where you left a report. This helps them to more effectively match lost pets with the correct owners.
If you can, please take several digital photographs of the pet from different angles and email them to us along with your first and last name, the best phone number to reach you, your address and details about when and where you found the dog. We will send out an email to the neighborhood and do our best to reunite the pet with its owner.
Remember... the pet we are working to keep safe could be yours. Your help in any of the above areas would be greatly appreciated.