After Longview citizens yowled over a January proposal to cap the number of city residents' pets at four dogs, ferrets or cats, the City Council is looking to adopt a kennel ordinance to keep animal hoarding under control.
Under the ordinance, which is modeled on the one in force in rural Cowlitz County, "kennel" is defined as any premises where 10 or more adult dogs and/or cats are kept for any purpose. All kennels would need to be registered with the Humane Society's animal control division. The kennels would be inspected to ensure they meet minimum standards for the animal's health and safety and are not a nuisance to the neighbors. Registration certificates would expire after one year.
The City Council reviewed the kennel proposal at a workshop Thursday night, and no council member objected to the plan.
Currently, the city doesn't restrict the number of pets residents may have — and that has caused problems when authorities want to crack down on animal hoarders. The Humane Society has dealt with several Longview cases in which people have owned dozens of animals, such as a woman who kept more than 30 cats in her filthy mobile home and a family with 30 dogs. The situations often generate noise and odors that upset neighbors, but authorities aren't able to do much..." More
Jan 25, 2012: Longview may limit pet numbers
By Amy M.E. Fischer
How many dogs, cats, ferrets or miniature potbellied pigs should one household be allowed to have?
In Longview, pet owners could be limited to no more than four such animals under a proposed ordinance crafted by the city and Humane Society. Currently, the city doesn't place any restrictions on the number of pets residents may have - and that has caused problems when authorities want to crack down on animal hoarders, said Humane Society animal control supervisor Mike Nicholson.
Thursday, the City Council will discuss the proposed ordinance, which says:
• Keeping more than four cats, dogs, or ferrets (or a combination of more than four of these animals) within a single family home would be a misdemeanor if the animals are older than 6 months. Keeping more than two miniature potbellied pigs also would be a misdemeanor.
• People living in a duplex, apartment, mobile home park or other multi-unit housing complex would be limited to a maximum combination of three cats, dogs and ferrets or two pigs.
• Single-family homes on lots at least 20,000 square feet could keep a mix of up to five dogs, cats, or ferrets or two pigs. One additional animal would be allowed for each additional 5,000 square feet of property beyond 20,000 square feet.
The ordinance is similar to the city of Woodland's, Nicholson said.
Nicholson said he knows of several cases in Longview of people owning dozens of animals, such as a woman at a West Longview mobile home park who had more than 30 cats living in her filthy trailer last year and a family on Olympia Way with 30 Shar Peis. Often, animal hoarding situations are a nuisance for neighbors, who can't enjoy their back yards because of the stench and noise, he said.
In Cowlitz County, anyone owning 10 or more cats or dogs must get a kennel license, and the Humane Society inspects the facilities to ensure the animals are clean and healthy, but the city of Longview has no such rule..." Link
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