A proposed new law in Fresno would require people who breed and sell pets to get a breeding permit from the city, with an annual limit on litters and fines up to $1,000 for violations.
Fresno City Council President Annalisa Perea and Councilmember Garry Bredefeld introduced the ordinance on Thursday, when it was approved on a 6-0 vote. If it gets final approval on Aug. 29, it would take effect in late September.
The crackdown on backyard dog and cat breeders is part of an effort by the city to combat a growing number of stray animals that are overwhelming local shelters and rescue organizations.
“We are here today because the city is facing a crisis of overpopulation in our animal shelters, and it is largely due, in part, to the excessive illegal breeding that is occurring within our city limits,” Perea said Wednesday when she and Bredefeld unveiled the measure.
“People in our city are breeding animals faster than we can save them, and it’s time that we hold these illegal breeders accountable in Fresno,” she added.
Dogs over the age of 4 months are required to be licensed in the city of Fresno, whether or not they have been spayed or neutered. The city currently has two categories of dog licenses: $12 per year or $30 for a three-year license for spayed or neutered pets, and $50 per year or $135 for three years for unaltered dogs.
In June, the city enacted a moratorium on issuing licenses for dogs that have not been spayed or neutered, and established fines of $1,000 for owners for each puppy sold from litters whelped by unlicensed dogs.
But the city does not yet have any requirements for dog breeders. That will change if the new ordinance becomes law. Among its key provisions are:
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Establishing a breeder permit for anyone who wants to breed a dog or cat. While the proposed ordinance itself doesn’t set forth the cost of a breeder permit, Bredefeld said the fee will be $2,000 each year. In addition, the pet owner will be required to have the dog licensed and have a business tax license from the city.
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A separate breeder permit will be required for each dog or cat that is allowed to breed.
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Under the terms of the breeder permit, “the owner of an unaltered female dog or cat shall not allow the whelping of more than one litter in any household within the permit year.
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A breeder permit will also be required for any person who offers to sell or give a dog or cat from any public place, including sidewalks, businesses, shopping malls, flea markets, swap meets and areas in front of other businesses, except for nonprofit animal rescue organizations, dog or cat shows, and permitted pet stores.
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A breeder will be required to display their breeder permit number on any advertisement for sale or adoption of a pet, including posters and social media posts.
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Fines of $1,000 will be imposed for each animal bred, sold or given away in violation of the ordinance. The breeder can correct the violation and avoid a fine if, within 30 days, he or she can provide proof that the animal was spayed or neutered, or obtain the required breeder permit.
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Ongoing violations by a breeder may be prosecuted as a misdemeanor crime.
Bredefeld said the ordinance “will hold accountable those who engage in this illegal (breeding) activity, specifically those who do not have a breeder permit from the city of Fresno but are selling dogs or cats in public places. …”
Perea and Fresno City Attorney Andrew Janz said the city’s code enforcement and animal center teams will be monitoring social media, newspapers, posters and other advertising venues for pet-for-sale ads. Janz added that residents can also report potential violations through the city’s FresGO 311 web page or the FresGO app for Apple or Android smartphones.
Janz added that the intent is not to penalize people who may not be able to afford to have their pet spayed or neutered and end up with a pregnant dog or cat. “So that’s not in the spirit of what we’re talking about here,” he said. “We’re not going after a situation where there’s not really the intent there (to breed).… We’re going after the people that are intending to actively breed.”
Deputy City Manager Alma Torres, who is the interim director of the city-owned Fresno Animal Center, said the city is continuing to turn away people who bring healthy stray animals to the shelter because it already has more dogs and cats than it can safely house.
With the approval of the City Council in December, the shelter began to limit its intake of stray dogs to only those that are aggressive or vicious, or those that are sick or injured.
Torres said this week that the shelter has 200 dogs, but only 128 general population kennels. The shelter also has 63 kennels for cats, but the feline population is 125.
The overcrowding at the shelter is contributing to higher rates of euthanasia, or animals having to be destroyed. Torres said from January through July of 2023, that about 77% of animals left the shelter alive. Over the first six of this year, that had dropped to 68%.
Source Agencies
