Spalding County may soon have a more standardized set of animal control rules.

The Spalding County Animal Care & Control Advisory Board is ready to present its “dog living conditions proposal” to the Spalding County Board of Commissioners. If enacted it will replace the current system of animal restraint districts.

The animal restraint districts are scattered all over the county and in some instances, according to advisory board members, may include one side of the street but not the other. The county has a list of addresses that are in animal restraint districts.

The new proposal would be easier for animal control officers to enforce and would remain complaint-driven, said advisory

board Chairman Kelly Palmatier.

The proposed change would, Palmatier said, “allow animal control officers to have some discretion to make decisions.”

For example, the board left out specific temperatures, using instead the phrase “rain, snow, ice, excessive temperatures and extreme weather.”

The proposal also requires “regular access to food and constant access to fresh water and shelter and veterinary care as necessary.”

The advisory board proposed an 18-month waiting period for residents to comply with changes.

“We don’t want to be a hardship on anyone,” Palmatier said.

“We want what we propose to be good for animals and the county, and not a burden on anyone,” she said.

The advisory board is also planning to approach community groups to provide education on the proposal.

“We want to present our vision for community implementation,” said advisory board member Jan McPhail.