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VIDALIA, La. — After five months of pointing fingers and kicking the can, the Vidalia Board of Aldermen refused to make any decisions about the city’s dog pound during Tuesday’s regular meeting.

The pound has been under the operation of the Vidalia Police Department since July 1, when a long-time town employee who had previously been voluntarily operating the pound as an impromptu shelter relinquished it to VPD so that she could one day retire.

As the conversation between aldermen, Chief of Police Joey Merrill and VPD Captain Jimmy Watts carried on about the pound at Tuesday’s meeting, no one asked what to do with unwanted dogs. Rather, Merrill asked when they should euthanize the animals.

In discussion, the aldermen were told other municipalities allow dogs to stay in pounds anywhere from six months to five days. Alderman Tommy Probst said 90 days seemed a reasonable amount of time, but no one would make any motion to that effect.

Instead, when asked by Alderman Brent Smith if the aldermen had to vote on the issue presented, the town’s attorney Brad Burget gave them an out. He said the aldermen are technically under no obligation to vote on the issue. The police chief could set his own policy and run the pound as he sees fit without a vote.

Mayor Buz Craft placed the item on the agenda at the request of the police chief, who wanted the aldermen to vote on a reasonable amount of time to keep the dogs before “taking them to Dr. Gregg,” the local veterinary hospital, Merrill said.

Craft could not be at Tuesday’s meeting because he has the flu, according to Alderman Jon Betts, who is the mayor pro tempore.

“So, we’re up here dragging (the police chief) over the coals for nothing?” Smith said.

Watts, who oversees the pound with animal control officer Neil Mohan manning the daily operation, said the pound has twice been at full capacity since the police department took control of it in July.

“We were fortunate enough to get some adopted out and sent to other facilities. We currently have nine dogs and nine puppies. The nine dogs that we have now we’ve had for months,” Watts said, adding four dogs have been at the pound since July. “I’ve been trying my best to adopt any and all dogs. We have not charged anyone a dime.”

Meanwhile, keeping the dogs at the pound is not free.

“From medications to food, you’re talking a couple hundred (dollars) a month,” Watts said, adding he has been able to secure a large donation of food and treats from the Louisiana Humane Society.

“I don’t think it should be up to the town to vet these dogs for years to come,” Merrill said.

He added that VPD has been working diligently with Hoofbeats and Pawprints Rescue to transport any dogs that they cannot find homes for locally. However, HPR is not open intake and can’t accept all dogs.

The only dogs that would need to be put to sleep are dogs that have exhausted all other options, he said.

Merrill and his staff drafted a policy that left a blank in regard to the length of time dogs should be allowed to stay at the pound. The blank, it seems, has been the only thing keeping the dogs alive indefinitely.

“It seems to be a good policy and I think it will fit us,” he said. “The only question I have is at some point we’re going to fill up. When we get to full capacity, we can’t pick up any more dogs. That leaves the elephant in the room that at some point we’re going to have to take the dog to Dr. Greg. … We can’t do our job if it fills up.”

Probst was the only alderman to speak out on what he felt needed to be done.

“I didn’t like the way it was run before,” when it was run as a shelter, he said. “I put a lot of abuse on me because I didn’t like it. We don’t operate to make people happy. That’s not right to the town of Vidalia, because not everyone in this town is an animal lover. We got to be fair to everybody.”

Merrill said aldermen should vote and adopt procedures.

“I’m the police chief. You all make the policy. I’m helping you all do this,” he said. “If we can’t adopt them out and we go through all other aspects of trying to get them out, I think it needs to be a discussion on what you all want to do. You can write a number in that box.”

Alderman Tron McCoy said, “I have never been involved in setting policy for the police department. It troubles me that such a contingency — I’d like to table this.”

Other aldermen also questioned why they had to vote on the policy.

Smith said, “I was kind of wondering why Joey couldn’t make his own procedures.”

“If we don’t need to vote on it, let’s go home,” Probst said.

After that, Betts asked for a motion concerning the adoption of the dog pound procedures and none was made. Hearing no motion, the issue died. Then the meeting adjourned with a motion by Probst and a second by McCoy.