Naked City

Most of the roughly 200 people who turned out for a meeting of the city-appointed Animal Advisory Commission last week were breeders or exotic pet enthusiasts, and most of them seemed ready to rumble before a single word was spoken. Rumors were in the air, ones the AAC seemed desperate to squelch. "Let's be clear," said AAC Chairwoman Cherie Rachel. "There is no proposed ordinance. There is no draft. No fee schedule. Nothing has been proposed!"

The commission's only goal, she explained, was to solicit ideas for how the city could reduce its pet overpopulation problem and the 10,000 euthanasias at Town Lake Animal Center each year. But the week before, the AAC had held a similar meeting and asked for feedback on ordinances passed in other cities, thus sparking the rumors that the AAC might propose something similar in Austin. Those ordinances included requiring all dogs and cats older than five months to be spayed or neutered, requiring breeder's licenses to keep an intact animal, and banning a long list of exotic animals as "dangerous." Even if none of those ideas were, as Rachel put it, "on the table," the attendees were there to make sure that they stayed far, far away from anything even resembling a table. Over the two-hour meeting, exotic enthusiasts railed over the thought of their favorite species being banned as "dangerous" while powerful dog breeds like pit bulls are allowed. (The comment that humans are the most dangerous animal of all drew sustained applause.)

And while two people spoke in favor of spay/neuter requirements, the majority forcefully objected, warning that licensing requirements simply wouldn't work: "Backyard breeders" wouldn't comply, and responsible breeders would be unfairly penalized. "If you implement some of these things that have been discussed, you would shut me down," said Donna Edgar, who breeds Rhodesian ridgebacks. She challenged the council to find ways to use kennel and breed clubs to educate Austinites about responsible pet ownership. "I challenge you to figure out ways to better use the good people instead of punishing them."

Other attendees offered suggestions, including a pet owner's crisis line (for frustrated owners tempted to dump their disobedient pooch); a hefty fee on newspaper ads for pets (on the argument that reputable breeders don't advertise through the paper); more low- or no-cost spay/neuter surgeries; and above all, education. Once TLAC director Dorinda Pulliam pointed out that the shelter's entire education budget had been cut, Rachel posed a challenge of her own. "Contact the City Council!" she said. "It will take people like you harping on them for us to get the kinds of things you propose."