Portsmouth police were contacted after a woman said loose chickens in an alley caused her to fall from her scooter.
The report came from Southern Ohio Medical Center, where a patient wanted to document what happened.
According to the complaint, the woman encountered unconfined chickens in the alley behind Kentland Avenue. The chicken encounter allegedly caused her to fall from her scooter.
A man told police the fall caused minor injuries to the woman’s knees and arm.
The caller believed the chickens came from a nearby home.
Police advised him the complaint would be forwarded to Animal Control and documented.
This is one of those calls that sounds funny until someone gets hurt.
Most people think about loose dogs when they think about animal complaints, but the same basic rule applies to other animals too. If your chickens, goats, pigs, cats, ducks, or any other animals get loose and cause a problem, you may still be responsible for what happens next.
Loose animals can create hazards in alleys, streets, sidewalks, and parking lots. They can cause falls, crashes, bites, property damage, and very awkward police reports.
In this case, no charges were listed in the log provided.
But if your backyard chickens are out there running the neighborhood like they own Kentland Avenue, it may be time to fix the fence.
