Yakima County officials have been meeting to come up with potential solutions to the issue of abandoned dogs in the Yakima Valley.
A work group has been meeting for over a year on the matter, Yakima County Commissioner Kyle Curtis told the Yakima Herald-Republic.
Yakima County code stipulates that all dogs must be licensed in the county, but many people may not know that, Curtis said.
“We have to do a better job at highlighting what is the law,” he said. “If there’s no license, how else can you control the number of dogs on someone’s property?”
The group has come up with proposed code changes that could go before the board of commissioners in March. The list includes:
• limiting the number of dogs on a property to no more than four over the age of six months
• requiring dog breeders to be certified
• mandatory chipping of dogs that are potentially dangerous
• mandatory spay and neutering of all cats and dogs over the age of six months, with certain exceptions
Curtis said making spay and neutering mandatory might be a tough sell in the community.
“But the discussion needs to happen,” he said.
Curtis said that other counties of this size usually have more than one shelter, and the Yakima Humane Society is at capacity.
“They’re overwhelmed,” Curtis said. He is hoping to bring a proposal for the creation of a county-run canine shelter to the board by June.
Sunnyside city officials also are planning a meeting with residents about dogs at 6 p.m. Feb. 19 at the Sunnyside Law and Justice Center, 401 Homer St.
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