MOBILE COUNTY, Ala. (WKRG) — You can now receive a ticket for not keeping your dog on a leash or behind a fence in Mobile County.

Mobile County Commissioners passed an ordinance Monday that will fine dog owners if their dog is found roaming unincorporated areas of the county, a misdemeanor offense.

This comes after thousands of complaints about dogs biting people, or killing other pets or livestock.

“We’re looking at bite incidences in the county, dogs to humans, we’re averaging 235 cases per year of dog bite incidences,” one Mobile County Animal Control officer told commissioners. “That’s dogs that are not on leashes, they’re free roaming. Also aggressive incidents; this is dogs to dogs and dogs to humans aggression. The average is 1,129 cases per year. This is an average over five years per year. Nuisance incidences 1,018 cases per year.”

Several residents spoke at Monday’s commission hearing.

“My wife was bitten by a dog that ran off someone’s porch while we were walking. She has Alzheimer’s and she enjoyed our walks. After that walk she never walked again after she got bit,” said one man who lives in South Mobile County.

Another woman, Angela Goundreault of Grand Bay, says she’s been dealing with this issue for years. “They come through our fence and tore down our chicken pen here.”

Goundreault even showed us video of dogs roaming in her yard, before she says they killed her hens and roosters. “We lost about 5 or 6 roosters and a total of about 20 hens.” She also says one of the dogs killed one of her cats.

She says those dogs have since been euthanized, but a year later, other dogs are still coming in her yard and her neighbors’ yards. “At least once every two weeks here at the house.”

It’s an issue being seen county-wide.

The law allows animal control officers to now ticket a dog owner instead of taking their dog, which avoids overcrowding in shelters.

In a release from the commissioners’ office, it also says the law generates money, an estimated 57k-74k a year, with each ticket costing anywhere from two to fifty dollars.

But, Commissioner Jerry Carl says the law isn’t harsh enough. He tells News 5 he voted to move forward with it in hopes of something more being put in its place in the future. “It just doesn’t have enough teeth for me to support the direction that it’s going. I think it’s something we’re going to put on the books and it’s going to wind up maybe two year or four years and jam up our court system and just cost us more money in the long run.”

Others telling commissioners at Monday’s hearing that the law is unnecessary. “The fine and penalty is an additional burden on human beings that they do not deserve,” said one Mobile County resident.

But after years of capturing pictures of dogs roaming her neighborhood, Goundreault says it’s about time something is done. “I hope that the owners would be held accountable and not make the dog a victim too. The dogs are becoming a victim also because of neglect.”

Although approved Monday, it’ll take some time for animal control officers to be authorized to write tickets. So it may be days or even weeks until tickets are written.