One county's humane society is pushing for a state law so court ordered impounds won't tie up its resources.
The Dane County Humane Society has a problem. More than 40 pit bulls, picked up by state agents in a drug raid last June, have been placed in the humane society by court order. Humane Society board member Ellen Markey says they have to be held indefinitely as evidence.
Markey says it's unfair to the dogs that are kept in cages and it's unfair to the shelter. It costs six thousand dollars a week to take care of the animals.
The society wants state lawmakers to come to its rescue by passing a law that would put a time limit on such court ordered impounds. The dogs' owner is jailed on drug charges but he's never been charged with a crime involving the pit bulls even though authorities say there was evidence uncovered in the raid that indicates dog fighting.
The dogs are wards of the court. The Humane Society can't place them for adoption because it does not have custody. So, until the court resolves the matter, the dogs stay caged.
Markey says that's why a state law is needed because the current situation is not good for the dogs and it's not good for the Humane Society.