A meeting of the DeKalb County, Georgia, County Operations Committee (OPS Committee), which was scheduled for Friday, November 8, 2024, has been cancelled. The meeting agenda included discussion of an overreaching proposed animal ordinance that seeks to require litter permits; limitations on residents who might have the need to give away, sell, or transfer ownership of a pet; and other problematic provisions. Click here to view AKC’s recent alert that discusses concerns with the proposed ordinance and provides information about how to oppose it.
The proposed ordinance could be on the agenda of the next OPS Committee meeting on November 19, 2024. Continue to contact DeKalb County commissioners to express your opposition to proposed animal ordinance 2024-0190 and to request they provide advance notice of when it will next be discussed.
Click here to identify your commissioner and their contact information. Please note that additional commissioners were on the 11/5/24 ballot and will likely take office immediately following a run-off election. These newly-elected commissioners also will need to hear your concerns.
CONCERNS TO SHARE WITH DEKALB COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
- With Ordinance 2024-0190, responsible dog breeders are treated as scapegoats for DeKalb County’s shelter population issues.
- No evidence of a direct relationship between the activities of the County’s responsible dog breeders and shelter population increases has been offered to Commissioners.
- Commissioners and the public should be provided with more details on shelter intakes, including the number of intakes sourced from within the County and the number sourced outside of the county (including those shipped from other shelters).
- Responsible dog breeders will bear the undetermined financial costs of attaining a litter permit, not those whose actions are costly to the county.
- The decision on whether a dog is suitable for breeding should be made by the breeder in consultation with their veterinarian, not due to governmental restriction though litter permit limits and arbitrary limits on breeding.
- Alternatives to the ordinance include making the failure to comply with Georgia state dog breeder requirements a county offense, and implementing a “One Free Ride Home” program that helps lost pets be reunited with their owners.
Watch for more information from AKC Government Relations (AKC GR) about why all responsible dog owners in and around DeKalb County should work together to oppose the proposed ordinance. Please contact AKC GR at doglaw@akc.org or call 919-816-3720 for additional information.