Volunteers from Paws Patrol, a local animal search and rescue organization, found this female bulldog in August, dead and abandoned in a crate near Lake Mead. (Photo courtesy Paws Patrol)
An ordinance passed Wednesday intended to curb the rash of animal abandonment cases in Southern Nevada in recent years is unlikely to result in more citations, a city official told the Las Vegas City Council, but advocates hope the threat of a $1,000 fine will act as a deterrent to those considering abandoning a pet.
A second ordinance passed Wednesday, aimed at preventing animal hoarding, limits the number of animals a pet store can sell to an individual or household in a year to six dogs and six cats – the number allowed to be possessed. The City of Las Vegas is the only municipality in Southern Nevada that allows the sale of pets from stores.
The anti-abandonment ordinance, sponsored by Councilwoman Victoria Seaman, is largely in response to the high-profile case of Reba, a bulldog who died of heat stroke days after she was found in a sealed tote behind a business in late July.
The vast majority of abandoned animals, however, are never found, say the rescuers who spend countless hours searching for dogs and cats spotted roaming or hiding in remote locations that lack lighting and cameras, such as Lake Mead, Red Rock, and Mount Charleston.
In July 2023, hiker Alexandra Cortez and her boyfriend were on their way to Mt. Charleston when they saw a man push something out of his truck and speed off. They turned around to discover a pitbull and eight newborn puppies dumped on the burning desert floor.
Shelter experts in Southern Nevada suggest about 20% of dogs in their care have been abandoned – at a home as a result of foreclosure or eviction, in a public space such as a park, or by someone identified via microchip who refuses to claim the dog.
The City of Las Vegas issued eight citations to 11 individuals for abandonment in 2024. Most of the cases involve animals left in residences.
“It’s a very difficult one for us to get sufficient evidence,” Las Vegas Dept. of Public Safety official Rudy Tovar told the council, noting that owners identified via microchip records claim to have sold the animal or given it away. “I don’t expect to see an increase in my caseloads.”
“How does a $1,000 fine deter people from abandoning their pets?” Mayor Shelley Berkley asked Tovar.
“Unfortunately, Madam Mayor, I do not have an answer for that question, because I’m not certain whether $1,000 is going to actually make someone not abandon their pet,” Tovar responded.
Berkley voiced preference for a fine exceeding $1,000. “What’s happening is nothing short of disgusting,” she said.
The city is limited by state law to imposing a $1,000 fine but could seek legislative approval for a higher amount.
Animal advocates, who recounted routinely finding live and dead pets on highways, in garbage cans, and tied to poles in parks, suggest the government-funded Animal Foundation’s previous policy of requiring appointments months in advance for those seeking to relinquish unwanted animals is responsible, at least in part, for an increase in abandoned animals.
In July 2023, a person who was turned away while attempting to relinquish three dogs at the Animal Foundation left the dogs in a carrier in the parking lot. The individual, while rushing to leave, ran over one of the dogs that had escaped from the carrier and ran after the owner.
Gina Griesen of Nevada Voters for Animals cited the need for “strong laws on the books to send a message that we’re not going to tolerate this. But at the same time, we need to make sure that we have resources in place for people who get in situations, and need to surrender their animal.”
The Community Cat Coalition, which takes in only abandoned animals, spent $174,000 in 2024 “caring for these discarded animals,” volunteer Debra Mitchell told the council. “Now that the city is enforcing the shelter contract and our shelter is once again an open admission facility, there is no excuse for animal abandonment.”
The second ordinance passed Wednesday was in response to the discovery last April of close to 200 dogs, birds, and guinea pigs in a home, hotel room, and vehicle belonging to Timothy Miller and Carolyn Luke.
“128 were alive. 66 were dead,” said Griesen, who followed Luke and Miller from their home near Summerlin to Boulder City, where they were pulled over by police.
More than a dozen guinea pigs were hidden in the car, police discovered.
“They were stuffed in buckets and had clothes on top of them,” Griesen told the council, adding she obtained a seven-page list of animals purchased by Luke and Miller at a Petland within the city limits since 2018. She suggested to the council that businesses that knowingly sell an abundance of animals to the same individuals be subject to criminal charges.
The ordinance requires pet stores to document animal purchases and report to the city quarterly.
Luke and Miller each face 16 felony charges, however their cases remain in Las Vegas Justice Court nine months after their arrests. District Attorney Steve Wolfson did not respond to a request for comment on the cases. Court records indicate negotiations have been underway since October.
Wolfson, who called for stiffer penalties against animal abusers following the arrest of suspects in the case of Reba the bulldog, routinely negotiates cases involving abuse and neglect, often resulting in probation, the Current reported last month.