Athens considers requiring all pets sold in town to be spayed or neutered
2004-04-15
By Zack Smith
Athens NEWS Contributor

An ordinance to require the spaying and neutering of dogs and cats within the city will be introduced at the April 19 Athens City Council meeting.

During committee meetings Monday night, City Council decided to introduce an ordinance that will make it illegal to do the following in Athens:

* Sell any dog or cat over the age of 6 months that has not been spayed or neutered;

* Sell or give away any dog or cat under the age of 6 months that does not have proof of purchase of spay or neuter services from a licensed veterinarian, including a signed statement from the licensed veterinarian that such services will be rendered by the age of 6 months;

* Sell or give away any dog or cat that has not been micro-chipped;

* Advertise to Athens residents the availability of any unsterilized dog or cat that is not micro-chipped. This process allows authorities to track down the owners and/or records of stray dogs and cats.

Under the ordinance, dogs and cats impounded by the Athens dog warden would be micro-chipped at the owner's expense before they are returned to the owner, and dogs and cats that are adopted by Athens residents would be micro-chipped as well, with the fee being part of the adoption cost.

The proposed law is apparently an indirect reaction to the prospect of national chain Petland opening a store in the Continental Properties retail development on East State Street.

The store has spurred heavy criticism from animal lovers in the Athens area, who maintain that the chain obtains dogs and cats from unsavory breeding operations. The debate has raised the profile of the issue of pet overpopulation in the Athens area, which the ordinance would address.

Under the law, proof of spay or neuter procedures for dogs and cats would be the responsibility of the seller or person giving the animals away, and would be available to the dog warden upon request. Violators of the ordinance would be fined $100; animals deemed medically unsuited for sterilization or intended for breeding by owners would be exempt.

The proposal is not final, and probably will be amended before it is presented on April 19.

At the City Council meeting, Kate McGuckin, a representative of the Athens Coalition for Companion Animals (ACCA), spoke of the necessity of adopting the ordinance, pointing out how animal giveaways are a strong cause of stray animals. She pointed out that micro-chipping is a painless process that takes about 30 seconds, and is relatively inexpensive.

"If you can't afford a bag of dog food, you can't afford anything," McGuckin said. "And this will not cost more than a bag of dog food."

Mary Ann Morris, the creator of a local program in which spay/neuter coupons are handed out to Athens residents who adopt dogs and cats, also spoke in support of micro-chipping and required spaying and neutering. "It will save large amounts of money in the long run," Morris said.

Third Ward Council representative Nancy Bain said she favors the reduction in animal overpopulation that will result from the ordinance. "If we can do anything to reduce this, I'm for it," Bain said.

The ordinance will go through three readings with the Council starting next Monday. Should it be adopted, it will help enforce spaying, neutering and micro-chipping within the city of Athens, though other cities and rural areas in the county will be unaffected.

"We'd love to say [the ordinance will be enforced] within the county," McGuckin said. "And maybe some day we will."

The Athens News