ELWOOD, Ind. (AP) — Council members in the central Indiana city of Elwood have unanimously adopted an amendment to a chicken and livestock ordinance that restricts the ownership of wolf-dog and coyote-dog hybrids.
The change was brought before the council Jan. 4 by Elwood Animal Control Officer Alex Gray, who said believes there are two families that own wolf-dog hybrids in the area, The Herald Bulletin reported.
Gray told council members that he wasn’t familiar with the hybrids until 2019, when he was called about a pet that had been killed. After a second attack against a cat owned by the neighbor of the hybrids’ owner in early December, the council moved to amend the ordinance.
Three hybrids belonging to an unidentified owner are now in Gray’s possession, he said, but the owner still has two at home.
Hybrids often lack vaccinations, have inadequate restraints and can attract possible unlawful breeding, Gray said. It can also be challenging to determine which animals are hybrids by sight alone.
The revisions to the ordinance are expected to go into effect in 30 days in the city about 40 miles northeast of Indianapolis.