Marquette Township will soon fine owners for unleashed dogs

MARQUETTE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WLUC) - Marquette Township says it will soon start enforcing leash rules more strictly.

During a meeting Wednesday, the board voted unanimously to update its animal control ordinance.

Soon, residents could get a ticket from law enforcement if their dog isn’t leashed on township property.

Township Manager Jon Kangas says this change is a response to ongoing issues with dogs off-leash on public property over the years.

“If the sheriff’s deputy is already on site and he sees a dog off leash and decides that it’s worth issuing a citation for, he will issue the citation,” Kangas said. “The first instance is $150. It goes up to $450 for the fourth and repeating.”

Kangas says the ordinance will take effect after it’s officially published in the Mining Journal.

That publication could happen about 30 days and a week from now.