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
October 12, 2012
The cost of controlling the pet population
Peru ordinance establishes higher registration fee for unfixed dogs
- Local News
-
-
Digging into learning
Jerry Ousley's 7-year-old grandson David got to pet almost all of the animals at the Silly Safari, including a rabbit named Bunny FuFu, an armadillo and even a 7-foot-long yellow Burmese python. But David said his favorite was Jenna the dog. Ousley
- Strip club case heads to court Tuesday The city of Kokomo and the owners of the Tease strip club are due in court next week, with the city seeking to permanently close the near southside club. City planning officials revoked the club's grandfathered zoning status in December after the own
- Accused doctors seek venue changes Dr. Robert Brewer heads to court today to seek a change of venue for his trial on drug dealing charges, while fellow Wagoner Medical Center physicians Don Wagoner and Marilyn Wagoner will be in court Friday to seek a venue change. The Wagoners, repre
-
Brown is Western's new baseball skipper
RUSSIAVILLE -- For the first time since the Carter administration, Western High School has a new baseball coach. Former Panthers diamond standout Quentin Brown was approved as the new skipper at Western's school board meeting Tuesday night, 6-0. Boar
-
Court lets walk-out fines against House Democrats stand
House Democrats who had to pay more than $100,000 in fines after they walked out of the Indiana Statehouse won’t get the help they sought from the Indiana Supreme Court.
-
A stroll through the gardens
The large, brick house at 802 E. Sycamore St. was built in the 1850s by Howard County's first judge. It's an old house with a lot of history, and it's surrounded by a small forest of old trees. There's a 100-year-old magnolia, 40-year-old tulip pop
- Governor reveals ambitious goals INDIANAPOLIS - Following a directive from Gov. Mike Pence, state agency heads are re-organizing some of their top priorities to better reflect the first-year governor's "roadmap for Indiana" plan for improving the state's economy, infrastructure and
- Maconaquah set to hire armed officer BUNKER HILL -- The Maconaquah School District will hire an armed security officer next school year to patrol the district's four buildings. Maconaquah will be the first district in Miami County to hire an armed officer, also known as a school resourc
-
Not always a bad thing
In town, floods are a mess. All of the roadside litter gets swept up and channeled into flood areas, where it snags and looks disgusting. Flood waters, laden with raw sewage from combined sewer outfalls, gets into walls and flooring, creating a stenc
- Local teen explores wireless technology Eighteen-year-old Cade Meurer has spent years exploring ways to transmit electricity wirelessly - a fairly new concept that's now earning him national recognition. The recent Eastern High School graduate submitted his research and work to Google Scie
- More Local News Headlines
-
Hoffa Mystery Still Fascinates After 4 Decades
Raw: 1 Dead in Shooting at Mo. Apartment Complex
Raw: Huge Fire Near Yosemite National Park
Raw: Obama Arrives in Berlin
3 Charged in Ohio With Enslaving Mom, Daughter
Obama Seeks G-8 Support on Syria
Raw: Volcano Erupts Near Mexico City
Kid Couture: Spending Big Bucks on Babies
Suicide Bombs Target Baghdad Mosque, Killing 29
Military Plans to Put Women in Combat Jobs
Solar Power Chargers in NYC Parks
Civil Rights Groups Sue NYPD Over Muslim Spying
Raw: First Lady, Daughters Enjoy Irish Sights
RAW: NSA Director Says 50 Plots Foiled
Boeing, Airbus Battle for Sales Supremacy
