SPECIAL REPORT PREVIEW: Backyard breeder crackdown
The number of animals euthanized by the city of El Paso is on the decline.
According to reports obtained by ABC-7 from the Animal Services Department, 14,009 dogs and cats were put down in 2015. Compare that to 2010, when 21,242 were euthanized, and the recent peak in 2012 with 25,335.
Since 2012, the number of euthanasias has dropped steadily. City officials attribute the decline to the 2011 revisions made to Title 7, the city’s pet ordinance.
Currently, city leaders are working to once again revise Title 7 and enforce the provisions within the ordinance itself.
“The basis of this is public health,” Kurt Fenstermacher told ABC-7. Fenstermacher is the interim director for Animal Services. “That’s our first role, making sure these animals are protected. And that protects not only that animal, but wherever they’re going in the community.”
According to Title 7, no one may sell a puppy or kitten that is under the age of eight weeks. Sellers must also have a breeder permit or a litter permit for ‘accidental’ births.
ABC-7 worked with the city and the nonprofit shelter, Humane Society of El Paso, to spotlight unlawful pet sales. The city and the Humane Society hope that showing the dark side hiding behind the inviting cute puppy ads online will alarm El Pasoans and prompt action by those looking for a pet, as well as educate potential and current pet owners about Title 7.
Watch what happens when a shelter employee posing as a woman looking for a puppy encountered during Stephanie Valle’s special report, only on ABC-7 at 10 on Thursday, Oct. 27.
