A proposed change in the District of Houston’s animal control bylaw would give District employees more flexibility when it comes to deciding what to do with an impounded dog.
And that was done by removing a section indicating a dog must be held for five business days before it can be disposed of.
“We recommend amending the mandatory hold period to 72 hours, which should be adequate time for a concerned owner to locate the missing pet,” District finance director Jennifer Larson wrote in a memo outlining a series of proposed bylaw amendments for council to consider.
While it is standard practice to hold an animal for three to five days, Larson said, “the District of Houston has limited ability to care for an animal and leaving a dog impounded for that length of time is both costly and not in the best interests of the animal.”
She and other District staffers did suggest that there be flexibility in the rules for disposal “to allow for unique situations and the best interests of the animal, for example allowing someone to adopt without paying the impoundment fees.”
Council gave the proposed amendments to the animal control bylaw three readings at its July 5 meeting which now paves the way for formal adoption. Changes can be made once a third reading but the third reading must be repealed and the bylaw then read again for a third time.
Other proposed amendments include:
- Removing a section providing a discount for registering dogs under six months of age. Instead any dog over the age of six months will require a licence.
- A discrepancy in how discounts are calculated for spayed or neutered dogs in the animal control bylaw compared to the District’s blanket fees and charges bylaw would be cleared up by placing the discount at a flat $15.
- The current bylaw indicates a license can be transferred from one municipality to another. That’s being eliminated because there is no process for doing so. But there would now be an option to transfer a licence from one person to another when the ownership of the dog changes.
- While there is a reference to a kennel licence fee in the District’s blanket fees and charges bylaw there is no reference to such a fee in the animal control bylaw. The proposed amendment would add kennels to the animal control bylaw so that a business licence is required.