MANHATTAN — A Manhattan woman is hoping to push city commissioners to draft an ordinance to prohibit the transfer of live animals in the back of trucks.
Keleigh Schettler became concerned after noticing in March 2018 a tow truck with a dog chained to it driving down Fort Riley Blvd. According to Schettler the chain was long enough that, if the dog fell, it would have easily been strangled.
In addition to the danger it poses for the animal, Schettler says there’s also a risk to drivers.
Schettler approached the city commission last fall but got no response at the time, partly due to what she said was bad timing following the Wildcat Creek flood event. She decided to start a petition on change.org that within a week has already garnered more than 400 signatures.
Schettler says her proposed ordinance would be similar to that of ordinances in Lawrence, Lenexa and Wichita and would be flexible in its wording with the intent to get support from everyone in the community.
According to a 2016 American Humane Society report, an estimated one hundred thousand dogs each year are killed from flat-bed truck accidents. Schettler hopes to present the result of her petition drive at a future city commission meeting.
