City Council to discuss proposal banning “unnecessary veterinary procedures”
EL PASO, TX (KVIA) -- Today, city council will meet. On the agenda, item 16, is a proposal to ban cosmetic and "owner convenience" surgical procedures for domestic animals. District 8 City Representative Chris Canales, who is also chair of the Animal Shelter Advisory Committee, is leading the proposal.
Some of the procedures that will be discussed include ear clipping, tail docking, declawing and devocalization. "I think that all of these procedures are cruel and frankly inhumane in this day and age. I don't think that that those are things that we should be doing to our animals," says Canales.
If the item passes today, it will begin a 90-day process involving veterinarians, animal welfare experts, community members and pet owners to get input about what an ultimate proposal for a ban on these procedures would look like.
Rep. Canales mentioned that the Trap Neuter Return programs would not be affected by the proposed ban. These programs involve capturing, sterilizing, and marking stray cats for public health reasons.
City Council encourages public participation in the discussion, inviting those interested to share their opinions during the public comment portion of the meeting, which starts at 9:00 a.m. at City Hall in Downtown El Paso.
