It's been a busy week for the humans who run Houston from City Hall.
Good morning, felinity assembled, I've got some interesting news to report.
For those coming in late, my coverage of the stray animal crisis in the city starts here.
The city council has voted, 15-1, to do some rewrites of current animal control related ordinances.
A lot of humans ignore the ordinances already on the books, ones that deal with how many animals they can share their homes with, proper upkeep, licensing and more, and while the new changes relate mostly to dogs, it is still important for cat lovers to be aware of as well.
Violent dogs get loose here, a lot, and the new rules, passed on Wednesday, are meant to help BARC take action against the humans who care for them.
The problem is that, to do this, BARC needs more resources.
One step at a time, I guess.
In an article in the Houston Chronicle, before the vote, councilman Robert Gallegos, who pays lots of attention to animal control issues, cheered the city's acknowledgment of Houston's problem and its sudden focus on addressing it.
"Whatever we do, we need to think it through and make sure whatever we do pass is going to help," he said. "A pet owner that's really not that great of a pet owner, if they fear the citation, will they just take the dog and dump it somewhere? That's my concern."
There were some concerns, related to kennels and numbers of animals, expressed ahead of the vote, as well.
An editorial in the Chronicle made the point that City Hall wants to make the laws focus on "targeting animals and circumstances that actually disrupt Houstonians' lives.
The new rules also require spaying or neutering of most animals impounded by BARC, a hard-line taken that ackowledges the crisis of strays in the city..
I agree that one aspect of the changes is worrisome; mandating that impounded animals become the sole property of BARC if not claimed in a short amount of time.
This isn't just a concern for dog people who come home from a trip to find the dog got out because of a lousy pet sitter, but cat people who give their cat outdoor access, but don't collar/tag or microchip the animal.
The editorial discusses a few more things, but I can't find a link that gives non-subscribers access to the full piece.
When it comes to the number of animals kept in a home I am all for enforcing reasonable limits, including for kennel operators; it is troubling to read stories such as that by Heather Alexander in the Chronicle, today, about 60-year old twin sisters who lived in a home with 108 cats in incredibly filthy conditions.
The women may have mental issues and, though the situation has been suspected of having gone on for years, nothing was done until now.
Adult protective services will help the women, the SPCA will help the cats, and constables have said no charges will be filed.
WoW! Interesting read! Thanks for sharing this!
And thank you for linking up to our pet parade!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Posted by: Jenna,Mark “HuskyCrazed” Drady | March 28, 2014 at 10:12 AM
When it comes to helping animals, just keeping at it, one step at a time, is great progress!
Posted by: Sparkle | March 28, 2014 at 03:52 PM
Glad steps are being taken, or at least discussed, to make change. I agree with Sparkle, baby steps. Thank you for sharing on the Pet Parade.
Posted by: Rascal and Rocco | March 29, 2014 at 11:12 AM
Thanks so much for the info. Good to know things are moving in the right direction. Linking up with Pet Parade.
Posted by: Studio Kaufmann | March 30, 2014 at 06:44 PM