If a dog bites someone in Great Bend, the City’s rabies control ordinance used to require at least a 14-day quarantine. The ordinance was revised at Monday’s Great Bend City Council meeting, shortening the quarantine to 10 days. The animal may be quarantined at home if there is a fenced-in yard and there are no other safety concerns.

City Administrator Logan Burns said after discussion with local veterinarians, he learned the ordinance was not consistent with modern veterinary medical standards. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment standards reflect a 10-day quarantine.

“It is still required that any animal that has bitten any person (must be delivered) to the animal control authority or a licensed veterinarian for impounding and quarantine and the animal shall be examined to determine if it is suffering from rabies,” Burns said, quoting the agenda. The new ordinance is consistent with KDHE guidelines and the Barton County rabies resolution.

“The other substantive change made to the ordinance is concerning police canines.” Now, any canine belonging to the Great Bend Police Department, Barton County Sheriff’s Office or any other canine assisting a law enforcement agency is exempt from the quarantine requirement, so long as it is current on its rabies vaccination and under law enforcement supervision. The dog may continue on active duty unless it is acting in a manner that would indicate symptoms of rabies.

A few local veterinarians were in the audience. One told the council that an animal control officer from the Golden Belt Humane Society used to examine any dog brought in after a bite to determine if it was exhibiting rabies symptoms. The ordinance was revised in 2018 to require a veterinarian to make the determination. That wasn’t done to help veterinarians make more money, he said, describing it as a sound practice. The ordinance changes were recommended by local veterinarians.