Rushville, IL – The Schuyler County Board will delay updating its rabies ordinances for a couple of months while board members gather suggestions.
Board Chairman Ron Peak says when word got out that the board was preparing to update the county's ordinances, board members began to get complaints.
He says objections included the mandatory nature of rabies vaccinations and the cost of getting the rabies tags for dogs that had been vaccinated.
Peak says the county now requires veterinarians who vaccinate dogs to sell the owners a rabies tag, but he says not all veterinarians sell the tags when they do a vaccination.
He says that's one of the loopholes that an updated ordinance will try to close.
Peak says too many of the county's dogs have not been vaccinated against rabies.
He says the board will put off discussion on updating the ordinance until at least its January or February meeting.
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Rushville aldermen were considering establishing a rabies vaccination program for their town until they learned the county was updating its ordinance.
Veterinarians in Schuyler and surrounding counties have been asked to sell the rabies tags for dogs they vaccinate, but Peak says apparently not all of them sell the tags.
He says many vaccinated dogs do not have the tags.