I don’t know whether this is a skewed presentation of the law or not, but this information has just run through several of the dog law e-lists I read.
There are very few things that get me frothing at the mouth (pun intended), but this kind of legislation is one of them.
There’s a general feeling on the dog law and breed specific legislation discussion forums that often this legislation gets “snuck in,” funded by the HSUS and PETA and that the general public doesn’t know about it, or doesn’t see how it will affect their ability to own and enjoy their dogs.
I guess my real question is, if you live in that area, did you know about the legislation? Does it bother you? Was there any public outcry about it?
Regarding Louisville’s new “Dog Law”:
Nuisance Law: If any of your animals (not just dogs) “irritates” or “perturbs” anyone twice within a 5 year period, you will be forced to give up ALL of your animals and will be prohibited from owning animals again for 2 years.
You must have your dog/cat re-vaccinated against rabies and re-licensed every time you remove it from a kennel/cattery. This includes boarding kennels.
If you purchase an animal that was illegally advertised (because it needed a license or permit but did not have one) you are in violation.
If you break any law (including walking your dog off leash) your dog can be impounded and must be altered before you may reclaim it.
If you sell or give away a dog, cat, ferret, puppy, kitten, or kit, you must report the sale and the new owner’s information to Louisville Metro Animal Services within 10 days.
If you accidentally injure an animal (say hit it with your car because it ran out in the street in front of you), you have committed animal cruelty and may be civilly penalized up to $1000.
If your dog is intact, your leash can be no longer than 4 feet.
You can have no more than one intact animal and no more than 4 neutered animals, be they cats, dogs, hamsters, rabbits, gerbils, etc. or any combination of the above.
Expensive fencing is mandated (6’ high and 12 " underground even if you are fencing in chihuahuas.) And so on and so on and so on.
And those in Denver, Boston, Providence, Miami-Dade County, and so on, are you familiar with the anti-dog legislation there? Does it affect you or bother you? It’s easy enough for people to get huffy long-distance, but I wonder how this kind of legislation actually affects the “average pet owner” as it were.
A whole lot of what you posted is over thetop, and hard to believe without any prior knowledge of the new law. here is a FAQ about the ordinance, and here is the 4 Mb .pdf file of the ordinance. I’m going to read through it now.
The language of this kind of thing almost always sounds like hysterical hyperbole, so it’s hard to get a good feel for what’s really happening, and how it’s affecting people who live under the law.
I’m reading the text now, some of it has been corroborated, and some of it hasn’t.
“Any unaltered dog which is impounded for any reason after the effective date of this ordinance shall not be reclaimed by the owner unless the dog is spayed or neutered by or at the direction of MAS.”
Some of this stuff sounds freaky in an overly restrictive sort of way–I get wanting to mandate responsible ownership, but a lot of this is going to kill the small hobby breeders of rare breeds, while making exceptions for puppy mills and backyard breeders (no more than one random litter per year is allowed with no restrictions, so long as it has no systematic planning behind it, but dedicated hobby breeders are charged astounding fees and monitored and inspected?).
Some of it strikes me as freaky in a tinfoil-hat, big brother sort of way, like this part:
“Anyone who sells or transfers ownership of a ferret, dog, cat, puppy, or kitten, shall notify the MAS within ten days of the date of the sale or transfer of the name and address, and any other contact information the seller or transferee may have to include a brief description of the animal”
I’m not disagreeing with all of it–actually some of it’s not bad at all, just saying that there’s some freaky stuff buried in there, and I’m curious about whether it really affects people, or if those living in the area are even aware that these laws exist.
Oh yes, we’re aware of it, because it got a bit of press before it was passed. The mayor has stated, though, that it is not a perfect law and it will be revised as the city council and community debate the problems it attempts to address. The inconsistencies reflect the various viewpoints of the 25-odd council members, some of which were tending to the extreme. The overall intent of the law is to hold owners accountable for their pets, so that the MAS burden on the city budget is reduced. You also have to understand that the MAS contracts animal impoundment with at least one kennel (incidentally the one I take my cats to when we go on vacation) in the Metro area, and the law defines the responsibilities of that kennel (or any other facility under contract with MAS) to the city as well as to owners coming to reclaim their stray pet(s).