How big a problem does Boulder have with barking dogs creating a nuisance, and should the community devote tax funds to an animal control officer to deal with it? How a particular Boulder resident answers that question may well depend on where that resident lives, based on information revealed through law enforcement dispatch records. Those records indicate Boulder police were dispatched to a total of 1426 calls in 2016, and 124 of them were for animal problems.
Those animal problems included dogs at large, animal neglect or abuse, vicious dogs, dog bites and more. Only 15 of the calls were recorded as barking dog complaints, and at least six of those came from the same block on East Third Street – five from one home, according to the records. Two more of the 15 barking dog calls did not have an address assigned in the dispatch log. Out of the 15 barking dog calls, seven resulted in citations, the records indicate. Ten of the calls came in during daytime hours between 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Another two were in the evening hours of 5-10 p.m., and three were during the night between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Over the course of the entire year, 57 cases were opened for animal issues, they say. In recent months, a handful citizens have asked the city council to deal with their dog complaints. At the most recent council meeting, a change to the ordinance defining nuisance dogs was considered and tabled pending further discussion.
