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Dayna Warren, an Indianapolis Animal Care Services vet assistant, said she has seen at least one injured, neglected or abandoned dog every day in her three years at the city shelter. Those have included dogs hit by cars, puppies so weak with parvovirus that they can’t lift their heads and female dogs suffering from overbreeding.
“Indianapolis is experiencing an animal welfare crisis fueled by the unregulated and unethical breeding and selling of dogs that people do not have the expertise, knowledge or desire to breed responsibly,” Warren told the City-County Council Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee on Monday evening.
Councilors on the committee unanimously voted to approve the proposal. It moves to the full City-County Council for a vote Aug. 12.
City leaders hope a new measure will slow the number of unwanted dogs.
Proposal No. 207 would create a free registry for dogs not spayed or neutered. Indianapolis residents with one or more dogs that are “unaltered” or can be bred, would be required to sign up for the registry and abide by a set of animal care guidelines outlined in the proposal.
Shelter leaders and animal welfare advocates set the standards in collaboration with Democratic Councilors John Barth and Nick Roberts. The proposal aims to curb irresponsible backyard breeding.
To register, home breeders would be required to commit to an annual veterinary exam for each dog, maintaining two years’ worth of records on litters and sales, obtaining a unique “litter ID number” from Indianapolis Animal Care Services to be listed on any offer for sale of puppies and provided to buyers, and microchipping of any puppies.
Additionally, female dogs that are bred must be declared healthy enough by a veterinarian and give birth to no more than one litter in an 18-month period, with a maximum of six litters in a lifetime. Those owners would also be required to report all new litters to IACS within two weeks of the litters being born.
Abbey Brands, director of the Department of Business and Neighborhood Services, said there are 191 kennels at the shelter and easily 300-plus dogs in the care of Indianapolis Animal Care Services at any given time.
“We’re just constantly overwhelmed with the volume,” Brands told the committee. “We’re focusing on root-cause issues.”
The city-level proposal would regulate small-scale breeders. State lawmakers passed a measure this year regulating commercial breeders, or those who maintain more than 20 unaltered female dogs that are at least a year old.
Registration for the proposed program would be free, and the first violation discovered by an animal control officer would result in the officer providing referrals to free or low-cost spay and neuter resources or registering the animal to the program. The officer or another designee from Indianapolis Animal Care Services would revisit the property within 30 days to check for compliance.
“This ordinance is not designed to penalize our impoverished neighbors or those who are just trying to get by,” Brands told the committee. “We know that regardless of how much money you have, you can have a dog and love that dog.”
A second violation would result in a $50 fine. An animal control officer would issue a ticket carrying a fine of $150 with the requirement of a court hearing on a third violation.
Brands said proof of an upcoming spay or neuter appointment is sufficient to avoid violating the regulation.
Animal control officers could visit home breeders to check for compliance, likely following a tip from a neighbor or an animal welfare organization.
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