Issues at the City, County, and Metropolitan Levels, and in US Territories
CA, Seaside – The City of Seaside, CA, unanimously adopted an ordinance that will require city residents to purchase a breeding permit before their dog or cat is bred and will require residents to spay or neuter their dog or cat if an unaltered license is not purchased or a veterinarian approved health exception is not obtained. The specific costs of breeding permits and unaltered licenses were not included in the ordinance. AKC and local clubs opposed this ordinance. Read more.
GA, DeKalb County – No action was taken at the November 19 DeKalb County Operations Committee meeting on a proposed ordinance that, among numerous egregious provisions, seeks to require owners of female intact companion animals to obtain a litter permit prior to the birth of a litter or within one week after the litter’s birth. The sponsor of the ordinance indicated that the intent is to limit a household in DeKalb County to one litter permit per year, and that revisions to the ordinance are in process. View AKC’s most recent update.
LA, St. Tammany Parish – St. Tammany Parish is seeking to mandate the spay/neuter of all cats and dogs. Cats 26 weeks of age and younger and dogs 52 weeks of age and younger would be exempted from the requirement. The ordinance also allows for any pet owner to obtain a no-fee intact waiver from the Animal Services Department if the owner presents proof of the animal’s current rabies vaccination, an animal license from the parish, and proof that the animal is microchipped to help identify the animal’s owner. The proposed ordinance also provides that any cat or dog impounded by the Animal Services Department that is involved in certain offenses is required to be spayed/neutered. For first time offenses, the owner of any intact dog impounded by the Animal Services Department may pay a $150 fine in lieu of the spay/neuter requirement if the animal has already received an intact waiver. If it hasn’t already received an intact waiver, the owner must pay a fine of $250 in lieu of the spay/neuter requirement. For a second offense, the intact dog’s intact permit will be revoked and spayed/neutered prior to release, and its owner must pay a $300 fine. All fines collected will be used to pay the expenses of the parish’s spay/neuter voucher program. The ordinance is scheduled to be considered by the St. Tammany Parish Council on Thursday, December 5, 2024.
VT, Burlington – On November 5 the Burlington City Council Ordinance Committee reviewed and took comment on recommendations by a Dog Task Force Report. Among key recommendations was a provision substituting the word “guardian” for animal “owner” throughout the proposed article. Both AKC and the VT Federation of Dog Clubs submitted testimony in opposition to the change. The Ordinance Committee met in November to discuss comments, and will schedule another meeting shortly.