Tomorrow evening, West Mifflin Borough Council will hold a public hearing at 6:30pm on an ordinance that would limit the number of animals that may be kept or maintained on any property.
According to the proposed ordinance, “It shall be lawful for any person/owner to keep pets, but no more than three dogs and no more than five cats and/or dogs combined in total over the age of six months in a structure, living unit or unimproved land.” For example, a person/owner may lawfully have three dogs and two cats, or two dogs and three cats or five cats; but may never have more than 3 dogs.
While the proposal does state that it “… shall not affect any person/owner whose number of pets exceeds the limit of 5 prior to the effective date of this Ordinance …” it concludes that “upon elimination of pets by adoption, death or any permanent removal from that residence, people exceeding the limit of 5 are not permitted to obtain additional pets.” It further requires that if a pet has a litter, the person/owner shall have 6 months to have the litter vacate the home.
Talking Points:
While the intent of the proposal seems to ensure that animal owners are not a nuisance and disturbance to neighbors, the American Kennel Club (AKC) does not believe that arbitrarily limiting the number of animals will address issues caused by irresponsible dog ownership – regardless of the number of dogs on a property.
Moreover, it creates a hardship for those owners who currently own more dogs than the proposal allows as it does not allow for the owner to replace a dog, if doing so exceeds the limits, and requires any litters to be gone within six months. This proposal is harmful to those dogs that need to be removed by their owners if they exceed six months of age as they will be forced to face an uncertain future. This proposal will also adversely impact shelters and rescues by increasing the number of dogs at the facilities and limiting the placement opportunities for those dogs at the facilities.
For more talking points and information on this issue, visit the Limit Laws key issue page in the AKC Legislative Action Center.
What You Can Do:
Attend the Borough Council Meeting and respectfully share your comments and concerns. The meeting details are as follows:
West Mifflin Borough City Council Meeting
Tuesday, June 18, 2024 – 6:30pm
West Mifflin Borough
1020 Lebanon Road
West Mifflin, PA 15122
Contact the Borough via telephone at 412-466-8170 or email at web@westmifflinborough.com or contact the individual council members or the Borough Manager, Brian Kamauf.
For questions or more information, contact AKC Government Relations at doglaw@akc.org.