TITLE
Recommendation to request City Manager and City Attorney to return in 90 days with a draft ordinance making it mandatory for dog owners to spay or neuter their pets unless they possess a medical exclusion or breeding permit from the Department of Parks, Recreation and Marine, Animal Care Services Bureau;
Request City Manager to include recommendations for supporting the successful introduction and implementation of the Mandatory Spay & Neuter Ordinance, including but not limited to public education, spay/neuter vouchers, mobile services and enforcement through administrative citations and license canvassing; and
Request City Attorney to draft an ordinance making it unlawful to sell dogs, cats or rabbits in any pet shop, retail business, or other commercial establishment, unless they were (1) obtained from the city animal shelter, humane society, or nonprofit rescue organization or (2) bred on the premises possessing a breeding permit.
DISCUSSION
With ongoing support from City Council, city management and a passionate animal care community, Animal Care Services (ACS) has made significant strides to care for and manage our City's owned and free-roaming animal populations. Our common goal is to reduce the number of animals euthanized every year by increasing responsible pet ownership, return-toowner rates, pet adoptions and spay/neuter services. To this end, legislative actions taken by City Council in 2007 and 2009 resulted in the expansion of low-cost spay & neuter services, volunteer and enforcement programs, mobile clinics, microchipping, cat licensing and creation of a full-time Licensed Veterinarian position, which has improved the health and adoption rates of animals in the Village. Such initiatives had a dramatic impact on our animal population in 2013, as the total number of animals impounded and euthanized were the lowest in 25 years, return-to-owner numbers were the highest in 6 years and the percentage of dogs and cats finding homes jumped by ...
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