Leon County officials say about 75-percent of the inhumane animal care citations issued are never paid. Now the county is adding teeth to the rules to help insure collection. But Commissioner Mary Anne Lindley says she’d like to see another option for those who simply can’t pay.
“Which is that we can instill a community service instead of civil penalty fines. In fact I would like to see the community service at some point performed at the animal shelter or in some way so that people who have the inhumane care services get to know how to care for the animals and become more educated and more knowledgeable,” Lindley says.
Inhumane care is different from animal cruelty. Officials say inhumane care generally results from ignorance and officers often work with citizens for several weeks before issuing a citation.
