The city of Wichita Falls is planning to present two ordinances to Wichita Falls City councilors for approval regarding the chaining and sterilization of pets.
The plans, in their early stages, promote the overall well-being of dogs and cats and focus on controlling the pet population to reduce euthanizing healthy pets.
Lou Kreidler, director of health, said she hopes the overall outcome allows all animals in the city to be treated well and reduces the euthanasia of unwanted pets.
"We will be putting together an ordinance to present to the council that will require the spay and neuter of all animals that have been impounded," Kreidler said.
Owners would have to either provide proof of their animal being spayed or neutered or show where an appointment has been made to have the animal sterilized before releasing the animal to its owner.
"You'll be required to go to the veterinarian office of your choice, prepay for a spay (or) neuter and bring back proof of an appointment. So you'll have to bring back proof of payment and proof of appointment before you can take your animal home," Kreidler said.
Kreidler said the proposal also includes waiving impounding and boarding fees upon sterilization because the city does not want cost to be a barrier to pet owners taking their animals home.
"The only way that we're ever going to control the pet population is to get people to spay and neuter their animals. We've reduced our euthanasia rate by 2 percent in the last year which is a good accomplishment," Kreidler said.
However, 2,943 animals, or 64 percent of animals brought to the Animal Services Center in 2012, were euthanized. The city also wants to increase reclaim rates through use of microchipping, city licenses, Facebook, Craigslist and the Animal Services website.
"We're hoping that this will be a first step in helping to control the pet population. Knowing that most animals get out because they're either in heat or they're chasing an animal that's in heat. So if we can take that urge away, hopefully more animals will stay home and we'll have less unwanted pets," Kreidler said.
The Animal Control Restraint Ordinance will not be presented to the City Council until Feb. 5 after their regularly scheduled meeting as a continuation of the workshop from Tuesday, Jan. 22.
"We first started looking at revising the ordinance at an Animal Shelter Advisory committee meeting, and the members of that committee requested that we look at the restraint ordinance and see where ours was compared to other cities and if there was anything we could do to enforce our ordinance," Kreidler said.
Other Texas cities have comparable ordinances to Wichita Falls, or they have an ordinance that says the animal may be chained but only in the physical presence of the owner. Other ordinances completely ban chaining.
The city councilors will have an opportunity Tuesday, Feb. 5, to review options and decide what they would like to see presented for the city's ordinance.
"For the health director and overseeing Animal Control, I think really what we want the overall outcome is to ensure all animals are cared for in an appropriate manner and they're treated humanely and they have access to food, water, shelter and shade," Kreidler said.
Katrena Mitchell, Animal Services administrator, spoke to other animal control centers where chaining is completely banned and found at first, the centers received an influx of animals being surrendered because the owners could not meet the requirements, but long-term, it was not an issue.
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Comments » 8
shasteen#209150 writes:
From the world of pet care:
"Escape behavior is common in healthy normal dogs if the fence around the dogs’ yard is inadequate. In such cases, the fence is an insignificant obstacle to a dog’s wanderlust. Naturally, boredom in the backyard contributes in a major way to the development of escape behavior. While a bored dog casually wanders the back yard, its stimulus-starved big brain looks for some ‘brain fodder’. The greener grass on the other side of the fence is just the fodder such a dog seeks.
Such dogs often happily trot backwards and forwards over or under the fence as if it was invisible. The dog’s backyard territory and the territory of the street beyond merge into a continuum and the fence is insignificant. These dogs are basically happy and content but are certainly at risk from injury and from being picked up by the Council. They also pose a risk to pedestrians who have a right to use the street.
However there is another group of dogs that escape for very different reasons. These dogs are not happy, healthy dogs. They are dogs with psychological disorders where their escape behaviour is almost compulsive - these dogs often have a backyard phobia, a panic disorder or a separation anxiety."
Escaping a yard has only a little to do with a dog in heat---this is a myth. Cats also "escape" and this is very normal behavior.
Spading and neutering do not stop escape behavior. Responsible ownership will.
shasteen#209150 writes:
And for those who need to know what responsible ownership is:
n truth the majority of this list could be summed up simply as being the essential elements of "responsible dog ownership".
Provide comfortable, clean and dry bedding for your dog in a quiet and private area, free from cold drafts. Your dog should also have unrestricted access to clean fresh water and be provided with a suitably well balanced dog food diet.
Bond closely with your dog through games of fetch, frisbee, long on leash walks and whatever else you enjoy doing together. These activities are great for providing your dog with much needed physical and mental stimulation. This is all part of demonstrating to your dog that he/she is a much loved and valued member of the family.
Regular visits to the local dog park are a great way to provide your dog with interaction with other dogs.
Obedience training is the key, it is absolutely essential for any healthy owner-dog relationship. Not only does obedience training provide fantastic stimulation for your dog but also sets you up as the respected and always fair leader in the relationship you share together.
Some interesting toys scattered around the yard can occupy your dog's mind for many hours. Keep the toys fresh and alternate them each week. Stuffed Kong dog toys are a clear favorite at my house.
Secure your yard. Make it impossible for your dog to escape - take away the temptation to run away. If your dog likes to dig trenches or is a fence jumper check out this article for some good tips - stop fence jumping.
Self closing doors and gates are also a good safety measure that can be a worthwhile investment.
In some cases it can pay to block out the outside stimulus that is causing your dog to run away. An example of this would be to place black plastic sheeting up on your fence to block out your dog's line of sight towards an outside stimulus - such as other dogs or maybe the postman.
If stray dogs are a problem in your neighborhood call in animal control.
Dogs that are neutered / spayed are far less likely to run away or roam. If you're not a professional dog breeder then it is always advisable to neuter your puppies.
If you are away from home for long periods you could employ a dog walker to come in and break up the day for your dog.
Similar to the point above, you could drop your dog off at the dog minders or a friends place on your way to work to alleviate long boring days of isolation. (from World of Pet Care)
outhousepoet writes:
To add to the existing list of laws when the simple
Leash Law
is not enforced in this town is typical governmental nonsense.
C'mon Man!
bellaella writes:
this is a good start ...there is no reason not to spay or neuter a pet in this town. PAWS spay and neuter for a very low cost or free for some. Those who want their dog to have puppies should go down and see the dogs at the shelter or the others waiting to be euthanized at Animal services. Adopt a pet!!!
sunny writes:
I have never understood people who get dogs and not let them inside. They keep them outside and don't ever bother to pay attention to them. What is the point of having one? What a very sad existance for the dog, and what a great bonding experience you can have as an owner if you just pay attention to them and give them the love and care they so want and deserve!
imahic writes:
Would be nice to see a law passed for the low life scum who bring their unwanted dogs and cats out into the country and dump them in our neighborhood. If someone dumps one out in my part of the country and I see them I can promise you I will follow you to your house and call the sheriff to let them know where you live. I will gladly testify against them if it comes to court also.
shasteen#209150 writes:
Just a note: this is for all pets. Cats don't do well on leashes. As for why not spade everything---some of us actually own pets with papers and want to bred them. This isn't like having a puppy mill--and the breeding isn't done in WF. So some of us really don't want neutered pets.
This isn't about pets---it's about owners. If the city wants to fix it's stray problem they need to deal with owners too, just dealing with the pets gets you nothing but pets abandoned by their owners.
flamingo writes:
Well I have 2 dogs that like it outside....they like their big giant dog house and all those space age blankies to roll up in, I have tried to get them to come in and they last for about 5 seconds and want back out again. I also have another cat and dog that goes in and out (the dog not the cat). I go out and hang out with the doggies 2/3 times per day, they love to run wild in our field to the pond....gotta watch out for the bull though!!!
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