(Photo by Dan Brandenburg/Getty Images)
Preventing animals from ending up in the shelter is the goal of a multi-pronged ordinance passed Tuesday by the Clark County Commission, says Animal Service chief Jim Anderson.
The Animal Foundation, the government-funded shelter, “is continually overcrowded. We’re trying to find ways to keep (animals) out of the shelter, and return them to their owners before they ever have to go in there,” Anderson told County Commissioners.
The county effort, in the making since last summer and led by Commissioner Michael Naft, increases the penalty for selling an animal without a breeder’s license from $100 to $500, or the sale price offered for the animal, which could amount to thousands of dollars, depending on the breed. A second violation within two years carries a $1,000 fine or double the sale price of the animal.
Animal activists praised the move but suggested the county limit or place a moratorium on the issuance of new breeding licenses.
The ordinance prohibits the sale of animals in parking lots, outdoor markets, roadside stands, and other unlicensed venues.
It also requires that all cats and dogs older than four months be microchipped. The county intends to use revenue from breeding violations to help subsidize microchipping and spay and neuter services.
“I don’t want microchipping to become a barrier for people to get into apartment complexes, because that has happened to the City (of Las Vegas),” Commissioner Marilyn Kirkpatrick told Anderson, encouraging him to notify apartment complexes that animal owners have six months to comply with the microchip provision.
Kirkpatrick also suggested that individuals experiencing homelessness receive free microchipping for their pets so the cost does not pose a barrier. She also asked for reporting twice a year on how fines and other fees are spent by the government.
The ordinance also requires that every employee of a business or nonprofit that works with animals attend a free course for animal handlers. It also requires such a business to report the death of an animal within 12 hours. The business may not dispose of the body until authorized and may be required to pay for an autopsy.
Finally, the county is requiring that animal traps be checked every 24 hours. In some cases, trappers may be required to provide food, water, and shelter for trapped animals.