Animal Protection
This message is intended primarily for our new neighbors who are planning to move to Annetta North or who have just recently moved to our growing rural town. Annetta North is picturesque and is filled with wildlife. Moving to a more rural area like Annetta North, however, does pose significant risks to your house pets, particularly your dogs and cats. If you plan to have a dog or cat, it is important to recognize that you need to keep your animals sheltered inside after dusk and before dawn. I would also advise you not to let your dogs or cats run free very far from your property during the day. Coyotes and bobcats routinely patrol many of the farms and valleys and will view your unsuspecting pet as desirable prey.
When walking your dogs, particularly during the early morning hours or early evening, it is important to keep them on a leash and avoid the high grasses along the side of the road. Unfortunately, snakes commonly reside in these areas, and they are another source of danger for your house pet.
Smaller dogs and cats and kittens are particularly endangered by hawks and small raptors from the sky, who will also literally carry away your unsuspecting small pet.
If you are also planning to raise chickens or fowl, please secure your coops and cages carefully. Chicken coops routinely attract coyotes, bobcats, and raccoons. I personally have witnessed a coyote jump over a fence and steal a chicken not less than 15 feet from three adults engaged in a conversation.
Please also remember that in the spring female deer will often leave their young newborn fawns alone in protected gardens or covered fields. These fawns are not abandoned and should be left alone. Their mothers are simply away searching for food.
Animals which have lived inside or have been house pets in the city are ill-prepared to deal with the new predators they will face when moving to a rural area. It is up to each and every one of us to protect our little friends from the natural hazards of rural living.
Keep your animals safe and indoors at night and close to home during the day. Thank you for looking after them.
Robert Schmidt
Mayor, Annetta North