For the first time in 25 years, San Luis Obispo County’s code relating to the care and upkeep of animals is getting a makeover.
Title 9, the rules that establish county Animal Services’ responsibilities, are more streamlined after the Nov. 7 Board of Supervisors meeting, when Animal Services Manager Eric Anderson detailed eight different sections that needed revision and the board unanimously approved them.
The changes involved administrative revisions like prohibiting the impersonation of an animal control officer and general animal care rules like restricting individuals from feeding and attracting animals beyond their own property.
Language was scrutinized, too. For instance, the definitions for a commercial animal operator and a hobby breeder contained overlapping and conflicting language, which make the differences between the two unclear. Anderson told New Times that the update should boost clarity with language that’s more understandable and terms that are better defined.
“A number of things were omitted which weren’t included in past versions of the code revision,” he said. “Those are issues that I think the public oftentimes expects or like us to be able to address. But without some sort of code in place, we have no legal basis or justification to address those things.”
One such issue is the lack of laws preventing people from leaving their pets’ waste behind on somebody else’s lawn or a public sidewalk. The Title 9 amendment includes a “pooper scooper” law to deter it.
“That wasn’t there before,” Anderson said. “When people would call and [complain], we would have to tell them we’re really sorry and that’s something they’d have to live with because there’s no real code that precludes them from doing that.”
The county’s cat population will experience the biggest impact, according to Anderson. Owners of cats allowed to roam at-large and finders of stray unaltered cats now must spay or neuter them at their own cost. Animal Services hopes this will curtail an explosion in the number of roaming cats. Owners of outdoor cats must get them vaccinated against rabies too.
Other changes include setting up a holding period for stray livestock. While defined time periods exist for roaming dogs, cats, and other companion animals, no clear guidelines existed that lined out how long Animal Services should hold such animals for before they’re adopted out.
Anderson told New Times that the present county code sets 72 hours as the holding time for animals brought in as strays. But, a California code enactment developed a formula to determine how long animals had to be held. That state code is now on hold, but the county still complies with it because it extends the holding time.
“By and large, within our county, the way that formula plays out is the animal has to be held for up to four days not including the day of impound,” he said. “While the legal minimum is 72 hours, we continue to hold animals for a period beyond that and even when that’s concluded, the animals remain with us for an extended period while we find homes for them and appropriate placement.” Δ
This article appears in Nov 9-19, 2023.