Stiff Fees for Dogs and Cats Get Initial OK

Citing a public health crisis caused by 27,000 stray dogs on Los Angeles streets, the City Council voted preliminary approval Wednesday of dramatic license fee increases and restrictions on animals that are not spayed or neutered.

Several animal breeders said the ordinance unfairly penalizes responsible dog and cat owners, and some council members worried that it may create a financial hardship for low-income pet owners.

But the council voted 10 to 3 to adopt the ordinance, which city officials say is the toughest in the nation, after a majority of council members said drastic action is needed to reduce the number of strays roaming streets and attacking residents.

“The overpopulation of dogs and cats in this city is a crisis of epic proportions,” said Councilman Mark Ridley-Thomas. “It is a threat to the public safety and public health of residents, particularly to children.”

The measure would increase the license fee for dogs that are not spayed or neutered to $100 from $30, and double the $50 fee for a breeder’s license, required of anyone whose cat or dog has a litter. The license fee for an altered dog will remain at $10.

The measure also would require unaltered cats to be kept indoors. It sets a $500 fine for violators of the ordinance after two warnings.

The higher license fee will provide a financial incentive for dog owners to have their pets spayed or neutered, because the surgical procedures are readily available for under $100, said Dan Knapp, director of the city Animal Services Department.

“The $100 is designed to help individuals think seriously about what they are doing,” Knapp told the council. “We have individuals who are allowing their animals to breed.”

About 42% of the city’s licensed dogs are unaltered.

The Animal Services Department estimates that 160,000 dogs in the city are unlicensed. Of those, about 27,000 were found last year as strays on the street. Knapp said there may be as many as 1 million stray or feral cats on the streets.

Council members cited testimony at previous hearings by children who said they were threatened on their way to school by packs of roaming dogs. Councilwoman Cindy Miscikowski said there were 76,000 dog bites in Los Angeles last year, most involving children.

The ordinance is humane for the animals, said Councilman Mike Feuer.

“We have stray animals who are unwanted, unprotected and uncared for in huge numbers roaming our streets,” he said.

About 47,000 dogs and cats, three-fourths of all strays brought to city shelters, were put to death last year, many because they went unclaimed. The city’s euthanasia rate is about 8% higher than the national average.

“I have seen the problem in the last 35 years go from bad to worse,” said Erika Brunson, a member of the Coalition for Pets and Public Safety, a group of volunteer pet rescuers. “We have spent more of the taxpayer money killing animals in the shelters and not enough on spaying and neutering them.”

About 50 supporters of the ordinance, including actors Diane Keaton and Earl Holliman, attended the council meeting.

“We are thrilled,” said Susan Taylor, executive director of Actors and Others for Animals, a North Hollywood-based group. “We have to start motivating people to go out and spay and neuter their animals.”

Animal rescue groups that backed the ordinance pledged more than $300,000 to provide discounted or free spaying and neutering for low-income pet owners.

However, about two dozen pet owners and breeders urged the council to reject the ordinance, saying that similar fee measures have not worked in other cities and that the current Los Angeles programs are having an impact on the pet population. The higher fees, they said, will penalize people who breed dogs and cats responsibly.

“The major brunt of the ordinance will fall on responsible pet owners,” said Joan Miller of the Cat Fanciers Assn.

She predicted that many people will not report animals and litters to avoid the fees.

Mary Di Blasi of the California Federation of Dog Clubs said other cities have backed away from similar ordinances because they did not work. But Knapp said that was only in cities that had lax enforcement and education.

Council members Nick Pacheco, Nate Holden and Rudy Svorinich Jr. voted against the measure, saying that the fees are too large a burden for low-income residents.

The ordinance was set for final approval next week, when only eight votes are needed for passage.