Education, Enforcement Begin For New Pet Ordinance

New pet regulations now in place mean a new wave of education and enforcement is under way from the El Paso’s Animal Services Department.

-Every pet owner must have a $75 litter permit for every litter, and only one litter per pet is allowed per year.

-No pets under eight weeks can be put up for sale.

-They cannot be sold by the roadside. If an ad is placed for the pet in a print publication, the permit number must appear too.

Those who fail to follow the rules face a fine of up to $1,000.

“What will happen is, word will spread pretty quickly when people start getting these fines, that the city is serious about this,” Mayor John Cook said Monday.

His hope is that these new regulations will help reduce the number of animals, upwards of 19,000 last year, that are euthanized by Animal Services. Cook said he is confident the number will come down if the regulations are followed.

“If everybody works toward that goal, it’ll happen,” he said.

Cook said one of the big problem areas for the illegal sale of pets is along Zaragoza Road. He says people pull their vehicles into parking spaces and sell the pets right out of the back, something he hopes to pout an end to very soon.

“I’ve talked to (El Paso Police) Chief (Greg) Allen about it,” Cook said. “They’re willing to do some operations with us.”

Larry Blunt, head of education and outreach for Animal Services, said his department will be out enforcing. “Don’t be surprised if you see a shirt about this color (navy blue), come up to your door and knock on it,” Brunt said, “and we’re going to be asking questions.”

Brunt said Animal Services is also seeking the help of print publications to require anyone placing an ad for a pet to also print their permit number.

“As of now, they haven’t done it yet,” Brunt said. “That’s going to be our next point.”

Cook said in addition to the cooperation of print media, all El Pasoans must be a set of eyes for animal services in order for the regulations to have an impact.

“It’s going to take the education,” Cook said. “It’s going to take the enforcement and it’s going to take the responsibility by the citizens of El Paso.”

One of the other new regulations is prohibiting the sale of spayed or neutered pets for more than $150, which is expected to hit some pet stores hard. The new law will be grandfathered in for pet stores, but once their current stock is gone, Animal Services said they will be expected to comply.