Two cats stare out of a window. Staff photo.
The proposal to limit how many dogs and cats you can own in Lubbock was withdrawn at the last minute on Tuesday.
The proposal was to limit households to a total of four dogs or cats. Currently people can have up to four dogs and up to four cats for a total of eight.
A multi-pet permit allows folks to exceed the limit both currently and under the proposal. But the permit costs $40, and that might be a problem for non-profit animal rescue organizations.
Jennifer Wilson, city councilwoman for District 5, wanted more time to think about the impact on animal rescue volunteers.
“Never would I want to hinder anybody’s ability to help in this process. We all want to address the stray dog problem and the increased animal population problem that we have,” Wilson said.
The last-moment decision came after much debate and many public comments.
The tighter limits on dog and cat ownership might be reintroduced in the future.
Two other reforms were approved. The city will require anyone with a dangerous dog to have $1 million in liability insurance – up from $250,000. Anyone breeding dogs or cats will need a special breeders permit – which is different from the multi-pet permit.
The two reforms passed on a vote of 4-3.
The council also voted against a budget amendment which would have both removed the fence repair grant program – more than $70,000 – and redirected the money to a new animal control officer.
Debate over the issue revealed the city already has two vacancies for an animal control officer. Tim Collins, councilman for District 6, thought adding a third job vacancy was not helpful. But granting money for fence repair might keep more dogs from getting out.
Click here to see our previous coverage on the public safety issue of dangerous dogs.
Click here to see our previous coverage of proposed pet and animal control reforms.
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