El Pasoans React To Pet Problem Proposals

The goal is to improve the lives of dogs and cats and deal with pet overpopulation within city limits.

Wednesday night El Paso city officials and animal lovers met to discuss Title 7 and what revisions should be made to it.

Proposals that could cost up to $700,000 to implement and enforce.

“Fees at the animal shelter are too high,” said one man.

Another attendee doubted the proposed ordinance would do any good.

“Much of it is going to fail,” the attendee said.

“You look at all the classified ads in here. Every single one of these dogs is a pure bred dog,” explained Ellen Penington, with the Onate Trail Dog Fanciers Association.

She along with other animal lovers packed City Council chambers to hear the dozens of proposed changes.

Those include not allowing pet stores to sell dogs or cats. But organizations could advertise dogs or cats at a pet store.

Also, any animal impounded at animal services would be spayed or neutered at the owner’s cost, before returning to the owner.

Another recommendation, not allowing anyone to sell dogs or cats except breeders of competition animals.

Penington said the problem isn’t with reputable breeders, but rather accidental breeders.

“Those puppies that uncle Joe down the street, his god gets out, has a litter and he takes those puppies and he gives one to his cousin, one to his brother and get ride of the litter that way. When the dog starts messing the house up, chewing on the furniture, they immediately go to the pound, then the cycle starts all over again,” she said.

Many at the meeting believed the recommendations are steps in the right direction, but there’s still room for improvement.

“Not allowing the sale or not allowing the transfer of money for a commodity, in this case an animal, I think the animals are going to suffer greatly from that and the backlash is going to fall on the shelters and welfare organizations and certainly animal services,” explained Betty Hoover, director of the Humane Society of El Paso.

Mayor Cook and other members of city council could not attend the discussion because it was not posted as defined by the Texas Open Meetings Act.

A public hearing about the recommendations is scheduled for Aug. 10, 2010.

Related Links:Link:Borderland Animal SheltersLink:From Caregiver To Executioner: Animal Euthanasia In The Borderland