CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Bancroft officials decided Thursday night to adopt the Putnam County dog ordinance instead of updating the town's ordinance, which would have limited the number of dogs residents can own.

After numerous complaints from residents, Town Council threw out a proposed dog ordinance that would have limited the number of dogs allowed per household to three.

"The main reason we did it was the county has a humane society," said Bancroft Mayor George Woodrum. "They also have access to the Sheriff's Department and the county Health Department."

Woodrum said the proposed ordinance would have required Bancroft to hire a police officer and a judge to enforce the new laws.

"We wouldn't have been able to back it up," he said.

The proposed amendments to the ordinance were needed, Woodrum said, after several residents complained about bad odor and noise from several residents' animals.

"Now, if they get an odor complaint the county humane society can come over, check the complaint out and if it's severe enough they can alert the Health Department, who can come in and give them X number of days to clean it up," he said.

Woodrum said although he would like to see the county adopt a limit on how many dogs people can own, he knows it probably won't happen.

"I seriously doubt the county would ever adopt a limit because of the rural areas here where people can have as many dogs as they want," he said. "There are some places in the county where people can own six or seven dogs and give them the room they need to run."

His problem, Woodrum says, is when six or seven dogs are confined to a small space.

"If you've got 10 dogs in even a 50- by 50-foot area, that's not a lot of room for them, especially hunting dogs that like to run -- it's not good for them," he said. "If you've got that many dogs, find you a place in the country."

Reach Kate White at kate.wh...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1723.