Dog pound lawsuit settled

The Harrison County dog pound has been under scrutiny for some time.

Last year, protesters picketed after the pound got its first case of parvo, a deadly disease for dogs.

This year, it happened again.

Now, a lawsuit involving the pound has been settled.

“We are breathing a very big sigh of relief,” Harrison County Commissioner Barbara Pincola said.

Pincola explained that the pound was being sued by the Ohio SPCA.

“The big accusations were cruelty to animals and inappropriate facility,” Pincola said.

NEWS9 spoke with Teresa Landon of the Ohio SPCA in Columbus, who released this statement:

“The Harrison County Dog Pound will require continued monitoring to ensure they comply with the findings of the court. The opinion and judgment entry serves as a clear message to commissioners in other Ohio counties that county dog pounds must follow the Ohio Revised Code and that humane conditions must be maintained.”

“We have to maintain the facilities so that it’s appropriate for animals and we need to keep it clean,” Pincola said.

The litigation includes dog pounds in eight different counties, including: Belmont County, Carroll County, Columbiana County, Harrison County, Jefferson County, Mahoning County, Monroe County and Noble County.

“We welcome that we have a group that is willing to make sure that we continue to do well,” Pincola said.

Officials said all alleged accusation of animal cruelty were found to have occurred under the previous dog warden.