Peru —
Starting next year, dog owners in Peru with unfixed pets will have a choice — either have the dog spay or neutered, or pay an annual $40 registration fee.
The upcoming fee is part of a new animal control ordinance city council passed last month in an effort to preemptively deter a barrage of unwanted stray dogs in the city. Owners who have fixed pets will only pay a $5 annual registration fee.
“I don’t think we have a huge problem with stray animals,” said Peru Animal Control Officer Greg Douglass, noting nearly 300 lost or stray dogs came through the pound in 2011. “It’s more about getting a handle on the situation now before it gets out of control.”
But some dogs owners say the new ordinance goes too far.
“I think it’s nuts,” said Dennis Leatherman, owner of Pampered Pets, a pet grooming business on North Broadway.
Leatherman said he’s not against spay or neutering, but he believes having a dog fixed should be the personal choice of the owner. Forcing owners with unfixed dogs to pay a higher registration fee isn’t fair, he said.
But Peru Mayor Jim Walker argued unfixed dogs affect more people than just the owner. He said it’s a city-wide issue.
“The big problem is you have people who don’t take care of their pets and don’t get them spay or neutered,” he said. “They let them run wild, and then you have more and more unwanted animals on the street,” which costs the city more money to control and capture the stray dogs.
Carl Humbarger, a veterinarian at Peru Animal Hospital and member of Miami County Animal Control Board, said spay and neutering also has health benefits for dogs, like reducing the risk of cancer. He said the fixing procedure can cost up to $200 depending on the size of the animal.
“If you have something that deters multiple pregnancies, that’s good,” he said. “So if someone doesn’t want to spay or neuter their pet, that’s their choice, and they can pay the extra registration fee.”
Douglass said the city based the animal control ordinance on a similar policy used in Lafayette, where he said charging extra for unfixed pets has proven a powerful motivator for dog owners to go ahead with the procedure.
“This isn’t about making a ton of money,” he said. “It’s about helping owners find their pets and controlling the pet population ... Unless you’re a professional dog breeder, why would you want to risk your dog’s health and not do it? I’m hoping this acts as a incentive.”
Beyond the $40 fee, Leatherman criticized the ordinance for unfairly discriminating against dog owners. He said if the city requires registration for dogs, it should also require it for other animals, especially cats.
“Why is it just for dog people, and not other animals,” he said, noting he believes stray cats are a bigger problem than lost dogs in Peru.
But for now, Douglass said the ordinance is an easy and relatively inexpensive way to institute an animal control program in the city.
“This is really just a cheap way to have a little insurance to find your dog in case it gets lost,” he said.
Local News
Related Photos
-
TAKE ME HOME: Cleo, a chihuahua is one of the puppies at Peru’s Animal Care & Control facility. The dogs at this facility are stray dogs that have been found around Peru.
Discussion
The cost of controlling the pet population
Peru ordinance establishes higher registration fee for unfixed dogs
- Local News
-
- Wind farm battle turns personal
- Computers seized in strip club raids
-
Power to the park
- Miami Co. commissioners: Employees waste time online
- Trial starts in case of injured baby
-
“We’re all in it together”
Peru Police Chief Jonie Kennedy recently joined another elite group after she was appointed Peru police chief in April.
Out of the nearly 450 municipal police departments in the state, she’s now just one of around seven female chiefs. -
Legislature had little taste for alcohol bills
When it comes to alcohol, the 2013 legislative session may be marked more by what it didn’t do to boost booze sales than what it did.
Repeating recent history, the General Assembly turned away efforts to expand Sunday alcohol sales and allow gas stations and convenience stores to sell cold beer – the latter of which has prompted a lawsuit. -
Summer Place Car Show wheels in for its 11th year
It started with a broken down car on U.S. 31. Decades later, 500-plus cars roll in and rewind time for the 11th Annual Summer Place Car Show.
Jim Richardson founded the event as a way to raise money for his family’s foundation, A Home for Every Child. The foundation, which raises money to help children in need of adoption, is one that’s close to Richardson’s heart just as his love for the 1950s is close to his roots. -
New purpose for St. Joseph Center
For 42 years, Chris Cleveland has had a special relationship with his developmentally disabled brother, Bally. He created the Bally Foundation last year to connect people with special needs and their caregivers to services and resources within 75 miles of Indianapolis. Now Cleveland wants to create a new resource, a community for families caring for special needs members.
-
Question Time: Dinner for four
We received several dozen very interesting responses Friday when we asked our readers to answer the following question: “If you could have dinner with any three people living or otherwise who would it be and why?” As a result, a few us here at the Kokomo Tribune decided to give it a try as well.
- More Local News Headlines
Raw: Widespread Destruction in Moore, Okla.
Raw: Massive Funnel Clouds in Oklahoma
Raw: Japan's WWII Atrocities Under Fire in Seoul
Voters Could Elect LA's First Female Mayor
Huge Tornado Kills Dozens Near Oklahoma City
Raw: Rescuers Pull Tornado Survivors to Safety
Oklahoma Gov: 'Hearts Are Broken' After Tornado
Raw: Walking in a Flattened Okla. Neighborhood
Raw: Rescue Workers Search Oklahoma School
Raw: Witness Describes Scene After Okla. Tornado
Raw: Aftermath of Massive Tornado in Oklahoma
Raw: House Burns After Massive Oklahoma Tornado
Raw: Tornado on the Ground in Oklahoma
Split-second Choice Ended With NY Student Dead
White House Backs 'Shield Law' for Media
Wave of Attacks Kills Scores in Iraq
Pug Life on Display at Wisconsin Festival
Company Promises to Make All Snail Mail Digital
Analyst: Tumblr Fills Void in Yahoo's Offerings
