Spaying or neutering of Chihuahuas, pit bulls mandated under new
rules
Hollister City Council members Monday approved a new ordinance
to require spaying and neutering of two dog types
– Chihuahuas and pit bulls – while allowing owners to get
certified to keep those animals unaltered.
Council members have been considering the topic of requiring
spaying or neutering of the two dog types for several months now in
light of Hollister Animal Shelter statistics showing those canines
make up for a majority of those taken in or put down at the local
facility.
Spaying or neutering of Chihuahuas, pit bulls mandated under new rules
Hollister City Council members Monday approved a new ordinance to require spaying and neutering of two dog types – Chihuahuas and pit bulls – while allowing owners to get certified to keep those animals unaltered.
Council members have been considering the topic of requiring spaying or neutering of the two dog types for several months now in light of Hollister Animal Shelter statistics showing those canines make up for a majority of those taken in or put down at the local facility.
Council members initially considered an ordinance to require spaying or neutering of Chihuahuas and pit bulls, but that idea was met with strong opposition from local dog lovers and groups outside of the state, including the Chihuahua Club of America, which contended the city’s use of its definition for a Chihuahua in the proposed ordinance violated copyright laws. After meeting with concerned residents in August and September, city officials came up with the revised version of the ordinance, which was approved Monday in the first of three required readings.
That new law still requires spaying or neutering in most instances, but it also includes the provision allowing residents to obtain “unaltered dog certification” for pets over six months of age. Those animals and their owners, however, have to meet an array of criteria for the certification. One of the first rules mentioned is that the owner cannot have been convicted of or on probation for certain dog-related violations in the prior 36 months, according to the ordinance. Another one is that the dog has to be examined annually by a licensed veterinarian.
Penalties for violating the new ordinance include fines of $100 for a first one, while the owner can be cited again if the dog is not fixed within 30 days.
A second violation within a year calls for a fine of $200. Three or more violations within a year can be a misdemeanor.
City eliminates Saturday hours at animal shelter
Hollister Council members voted Monday to move the animal shelter hours back to a Monday through Friday schedule.
Council members originally had indicated a desire in early August to revert back to the traditional Monday through Friday schedule, after the city had changed the hours to Tuesday through Saturday about 18 months ago.
But when the item came back for approval two weeks ago, it was a split vote, with Council members Doug Emerson and Pauline Valdivia opposing the switch to Monday through Friday and Council members Victor Gomez and Eugenia Sanchez approving it. Councilman Ray Friend, though, was absent at the prior meeting. He returned Monday and joined Gomez and Sanchez in favoring the weekday slate.
Police Chief Jeff Miller in August had addressed the issue in a report to council members. Despite promotion of the new days of operation last year, including mention on the city’s website and a note on the door of the shelter, “there appears to have been insignificant public utilization of the Saturday opening,” Miller wrote in a report to the city council.
He said the weekday-only schedule will also allow his department to offer more administrative support to the shelter.
From March 2009 through February 2010, while shelter admissions jumped nearly 10.5 percent, the adoption rate decreased by 4.5 percent and the euthanasia rate jumped more than 8 percent, according to the city.
The animal shelter is located at 1331 South St. It is open noon to 5 p.m.
