Gibson Family Pit Bulls

ALERT IL - Highland Park - new ordinance will have a negative impact on dog owners - Aug 24th

Proposed new ordinance will have a negative impact on dog owners

Some provisions of the new ordinance:

Mandate spay/neuter of any intact dog that is impounded, even on a 1st offense.

Defines as a �public nuisance,� a dog that engages in frequent of habitual barking. The terminology in this section is not defined, making this it entirely subjective and easily misused.

Allows any dog deemed a �public nuisance� to be impounded. (Meaning the dog would have to be spayed/neutered before being returned to the owner.)

Define as a �public nuisance� any enclosure that is offensive to persons residing in the vicinity because of debris or odors. Again, this is subjective and poorly defined, making it easily misused by a neighbor who does not like dogs.

Create a �Problem Pet Owner� designation

Anyone who commits 3 violations of this chapter in a 36 month period. (This could mean three violations under the aforementioned poorly-written barking dog section would require an owner to surrender their dogs!)

�Problem Pet Owners� are prohibited from owning ANY animals for 24 months, and all existing animals must be surrendered to the Animal Warden of Chief of Police.

Require that a female dog in heat be confined inside the owner�s home, a veterinary hospital or kennel at all times. This would prohibit the owner from taking the dog for a walk, or even allowing it in their own yard.

Require an annual rabies vaccination, effectively prohibiting owners and veterinarians from using the existing 3-year rabies vaccine.

Require that microchips provide readable information, including the animal�s name and contact information for the owner. As you know, when a microchip is scanned it only provides a serial number which can be looked up in a national database to provide the owner�s contact information. There are no microchips on the market capable of doing what this ordinance mandates. It would be impossible for residents to comply with the ordinance.

Require that owners provide information about the reproductive status of the animal when it is licensed, likely to create a differential licensing system where owners of intact animals pay a higher fee.

Include a series of restrictions on tethering:

Requires any tethered animals be sterilized.

Animals tethered for more than 1 hour must be supervised.

Prohibits tethering between 9:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m.

Highland Park City Council Meeting

Monday August 24th, 2:30 pm

City Hall

1707 St. Johns Avenue

Highland Park, IL 60035