Published: October 22, 2009 08:29 pm      

Check for missing livestock online

Either call the proper channels, or lose the animals at auction

Henderson County residents can now check for missing livestock online, Sheriff Ray Nutt said.

HB 2042, authored by State Rep. Dan Flynn of Van in the 81st Legislature, adds the option of posting the animal in the Internet to the previous requirement of publishing it in a newspaper.

The bill does not remove the requirement of posting the estray on the public notice board at the courthouse.

“Its a common thing for us to find estray livestock,” Henderson County Animal Control Deputy John Haverly said. “Any that we find have to be held for at least 15 days. If they’re not picked up, they’re taken to the auction in Athens.”

During the 15 days that the county holds the animal, the Henderson County Sheriff’s Office will post the estray report, along with photographs of the animal, on the county site at www.co.henderson.tx.us.

If the estray’s owner finds the animal on the website, he can call HCSO, and ask to speak to an animal control officer. The officer will explain the steps in getting the livestock returned.

“If an owner were to come forward, call us, and we agree it’s their livestock, for them to receive the animal back, they have to settle up with the cowboys that pick them up for us,” Haverly said

According to the Texas Agricultural Code, an animal is considered estray, if without being herded with other livestock, roams about the property of a person, without that person's permission, or roams about public property. If no one claims the animal, the county is out the cost of boarding the estray until it is auctioned. On those occasions, the county can still come out on the short end of the deal.

Proponents said the newspaper notice requirements, when combined with other costs, including the hauling, feeding and boarding the animal, becomes an expensive endeavor for a Sheriff’s department.