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Lucas County dog warden's door-to-door inspections put on hiatus

• http://www.toledoblade.com-ALEX M. PARKER

While no vote was taken, Tina Skeldon Wozniak, president of the commissioners, and Commissioner Ben Konop said they were concerned about and uncomfortable with the program.

They want to see if a one-year halt would affect dog owners' compliance rate.

"I want to assume people will buy the license because they believe in it," Ms. Wozniak said after a public hearing yesterday.

"If you have a driver's license, nobody's knocking on your door to see if you're in compliance," she said.

County Dog Warden Tom Skeldon defended the program, under which deputy wardens knock on the doors of homes and ask residents if they own a dog.

"This is one of the few times that a law enforcement agency can be proactive," Mr. Skeldon said during the hearing. "Law enforcement is caught too often cleaning up a mess."

Mr. Skeldon emphasized that he instructed deputies not to enter the home or peer into a house's window - only to see if any signs of a dog are in plain sight.

But Mr. Konop said he was worried the program might impinge on the Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which protects citizens against searches without a warrant.


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