Quincy
Posted : 6/26/2008 4:57:58 AM
Just in here is some more news and from this link:-
http://www.wfaa.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/localnews/stories/DN-animals_26met.ART.State.Edition2.4d4dbe7.html
12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, June 26, 2008
Dallas OKs new limits for dogs, cats and owners
By DAVE LEVINTHAL / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas will significantly tighten its rules on animal ownership under new regulations overwhelmingly approved Wednesday by the City Council.
The ordinance will require that most animals be spayed or neutered, limit how many pets residents can have, and restrict how long dogs can be tied up, among other provisions.
The majority of council members hailed the changes to the animal ordinance as an important step toward reducing the tens of thousands of stray animals roaming city streets, and improving quality of life for pets. But others at the meeting, particularly breeders, saw the rules as too strict, prompting hours of passionate debate involving about 200 people. The ordinance was approved on a 10-3 vote, and most provisions take effect Tuesday.
"It's the first step in trying to solve a complex problem that has been going on for a long time," Mayor Pro Tem Elba Garcia said. "We all agree it's time to do something."
Some council members, along with dozens of breeders and owners' rights advocates, argued that the new ordinance punishes responsible animal owners.
Many also argued that Dallas' new ordinance would be difficult, if not impossible, to enforce, noting that the city can barely handle the animal laws already on the books.
"We should have deferred this; we should have put this off until we could have gotten both sides together," District 9 council member Sheffie Kadane said.
"This is going to be another pooper scooper law that is not enforced," Dallas resident Sherry Talton told the council. "We need to take the time and slow this process down."
Some of the speakers launched into impassioned, even tearful soliloquies. For every ordinance opponent who decried its potential effect on animal breeding or owners' rights, there was a supporter noting the thousands of dogs and cats Dallas euthanizes annually.
Dallas Animal Shelter Commission Chairman Skip Trimble insisted that the city must move now to reduce the stray and feral animal population.
"It can only be done through sterilization," he said. "If we can't control the flow of water, we'll never stop mopping the floor."
Such comments foreshadowed a fiery debate among council members.
"I blame this entire circle if this doesn't work," Mr. Kadane told his colleagues. Turning to city staff, he added, "You guys don't have the force to get out and do what this ordinance is trying to do."
Even a few council members supporting the expanded animal ordinance acknowledged Mr. Kadane's assertion. Only about one in 10 animals is currently registered, and residents' loose-animal calls often go hours or days without response.
But several council members noted that Dallas' latest 2008-09 budget outlook includes funding for 20 new animal services workers.
Top city staff expressed confidence that they'll make headway in a battle to clear Dallas streets of strays, many of which are potentially dangerous.
"You can hold me to that: We will get the dog numbers down," City Manager Mary Suhm said. "We don't mind being held accountable for that."
District 12 council member Ron Natinsky offered a substitute ordinance, which altered or deleted several provisions in the original animal ordinance proposal. It was rejected, 9-4.
Limits on the number of animals one can own and new rules on impounding dangerous dogs take effect next week. Provisions addressing outdoor dog confinements go into effect Sept. 25, while the spay/neuter provisions and breeder permit regulations take effect Oct. 25.
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