CORINTH - Alcorn County supervisors agreed Monday to consider a county resident's request for a leash law or vicious animal ordinance.

The board asked county attorney Bob Krohn to see what their options might be.

R.M. Brooks, who lives on County Road 170, said he's had problems with "a couple of killer dogs," pit bulls that live in his community.

The dogs have twice come close to killing his dogs, Brooks said, and have killed two of his neighbor's dogs.

"This isn't the only place in the county where there's a problem," said Sheriff Charles Rinehart. "We get two to three calls a week."

Although people can sue the owner of an attacking animal under civil law, there is nothing the law can do as far as criminal charges are concerned, Rinehart said.

"Right now, if any animal is on your property causing a problem or destroying something, the only thing you can do is catch the animal, notify the owner and the owner must pay you for damage," the sheriff said.

The person whose property is damaged can't just kill the animal, because then the animal's owner has a basis for a complaint.

"I sent out an officer and we made a report on Mr. Brooks' situation," Rinehart said. "My concern, like Mr. Brooks, is that he has a granddaughter who comes over, and if the dog gets hold of a child or an adult there will be injuries."

Rinehart said Corinth has a vicious animal ordinance that details exactly how an animal must be housed.

He also mentioned that a Justice Court judge had asked the Board of Supervisors in 2007 to enact a vicious animal ordinance, but no action had been taken.

"We don't need to wait for something bad to happen," said District 2 Supervisor Jeff Patterson.

Contact Lena Mitchell at 287-9822 or lena.mitchell@djournal.com.