The very controversial re-write of the animal ordinance for the City of Waco is published on the City website with changes/additions in yellow. There is a public hearing this Thursday night - here is a letter that a group that I strongly support has sent to Mayor Duncan and the City Council. There are some excellent points raised. Please support the support the suggestions made by ROPA. Thanks. June 20, 2013 Mayor Malcolm Duncan, Jr. PO Box 2570 Waco, Texas 76702 Re: Proposed Waco Pet Ordinances Fax: (254) 750-5748 Dear Mayor Duncan and council members, Responsible Pet Owners Alliance (RPOA) organized over 20 years ago as a statewide animal welfare organization in Texas. We immediately developed a Pet Education, Assistance & Rescue Program with many proactive initiatives which we felt could serve as a model for other communities. “Pet Retention” is the primary problem as those stray animals once had a home and couldn’t keep it. Our membership in Waco has contacted us with concerns about proposed pet ordinance changes. A recent city press release states that the Waco animal shelter receives hundreds of unwanted puppies and kittens as a direct result of stray dogs and cats on your streets and that the City is considering ordinance amendments to promote responsible pet ownership and reduce stray animals. Mandatory pet sterilization, mandatory microchips and breeder permits are proven failures and target pet owners who keep their animals confined. Much valuable time will be wasted when real progress can be made with proactive initiatives instead of unenforceable ordinance provisions. RPOA recommends that the city pass the following legislation (see attachments for suggested wording) and remove the “Intact Animal Permit” from existing ordinance as San Antonio did several years ago because it is unenforceable: • A Tethering ordinance. • A Cat Colony Permit for (TNR) Feral Cat Trap/Neuter/Release. • “Abandonment” Definition. In addition, RPOA recommends that the city develop a “Strategic Plan” to create community awareness of local animal problems and develop proactive initiatives on how the community can work together to solve them. There is no silver bullet and it will take cooperative long term efforts backed by public and private funding. The jury is still out on “No Kill” Shelters but we continue to monitor Austin and San Antonio’s programs. RPOA pushed for San Antonio to become “No Kill” and now wonder if this just means “No Intakes” with more strays on the streets threatening residents, fighting, biting and spreading disease. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Sincerely, Mary Beth Duerler Executive Director Responsible Pet Owners Alliance
Posted on: Tue, 25 Jun 2013 03:15:13 +0000
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