Youngstown, Mahoning officials: Call warden about loose, dangerous dogs

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

City and Mahoning County officials are urging those who see loose or dangerous dogs to contact the county dog warden or law enforcement.

A deal between the city and the county — with each evenly splitting the $71,464.95 annual cost to have an assistant dog warden exclusively dedicated to Youngstown — took effect last month.

“It’s about the safety of the community to get dogs off the street,” said county Commissioner David Ditzler at a press conference Wednesday. “It’s all about protecting the residents of Mahoning County, and in this case, particularly within the city limits.”

About 75 percent of the calls to the county dog warden are in Youngstown.

The one-year deal has one person handling dog-services exclusively in the city at least 40 hours a week, with the work primarily done between 1 and 9:30 p.m. seven days a week. Overall, the department has four full-time assistant dog wardens.

Those in need of help from the dog warden should call the office at 330-740-2205 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and can leave a message at 330-613-7959 at other times. Also, the city police nonemergency phone number is 330-742-8929, and the county 911 dispatch number is 330-740-2370.

If there’s an emergency, call 911.