Good intention, wrong approach
City of Hollister officials have the right intention while
proposing to require spaying or neutering to pit bulls and
Chihuahuas, in light of an overpopulation of one species and
attacks involving the other. But the mandate likely will serve more
of a threat than anything because authorities would have an
immensely difficult time enforcing the law.
Good intention, wrong approach
City of Hollister officials have the right intention while proposing to require spaying or neutering to pit bulls and Chihuahuas, in light of an overpopulation of one species and attacks involving the other. But the mandate likely will serve more of a threat than anything because authorities would have an immensely difficult time enforcing the law.
Instead of the requirement proposed by Hollister Animal Control and moved forward last week by city council members, officials should consider other ways to stem the growing problem such as increasing fines for abandoned dogs and enhancing penalties against irresponsible owners whose pets attack other animals or people. Due to a severe staffing shortage at the shelter, they also should work with volunteer-driven organizations such as Pet Friends to better promote responsible ownership.
The animal control office responded to the spike in attacks by stray pit bulls and a continued increase in the number of abandoned Chihuahuas running around town. The council heard the idea and agreed to have the city attorney draft an ordinance for later consideration.
It is proposed in light of the two breeds accounting for 41 percent of the animals dropped at the shelter. The local shelter reported that for the first time in 20 years, due to the spike and related capacity issues, it has had to put Chihuahuas to sleep.
Officials surmised those increases have been caused by more and more “back-yard breeders” allowing their animals to breed with hopes of selling the litters. But there isn’t the same market these days as their used to be for such pets. Combine that with a costly price tag to spay or neuter the dogs – and during an economic downturn when people have fewer dollars to spend – and it has led to the jump in the number of strays in Hollister.
It is good to see animal control officials trying to address the increases by penalizing the owners, but the approach of requiring them to get fixed won’t realistically have any teeth, due in large part to the difficulty of spotting the non-compliant animals and also to the staffing problems at the shelter.
Incidentally, the same department last month formally responded to a grand jury report recommending that it needs a lot more help. Animal control’s reply agreed with the contention but concluded the obvious: There is no funding to hire more workers, and there probably won’t be for a long time.
That said, how does the city expect to police this ordinance? The only way to enforce the law is to wait until the stray dogs are captured, and even then, they often won’t have identifying information for the owners.
With little staffing, the most feasible and likely effective solution to curtail the number of stray Chihuahuas and pit bulls – and dogs in general around the city – is to strengthen penalties against owners of loose canines and those that attack.
