Animal control debate unleashed

Frontiersman editorial board

Right here in the dog days of summer, the city of Houston is snarled up in a debate over animal control. It's not a question of whether animal control is a good idea or not -- that was decided long ago. Animal control has been written into city code for decades. The problem is how to make it work … or more to the point, who is going to pay for it?

Because there is currently no borough property tax support for animal control in Houston, the burden would have to be carried by fees collected from animal owners. That means, for dog licensing, each dog would cost $10, or $7 for dogs that are spayed or neutered. For the average pet owner that's not a tremendous burden, but some kennel owners are not happy about the prospect. Even though there is a break for kennel owners, the cost would still be high based upon the sheer number of animals. Under the current proposal a kennel would be charged $50 for a general registration and then one dollar per dog after the fifth dog. A kennel with 300 dogs would have to pay $345 per year. A lot compared to the average pet owner, but probably much less than any of the other costs associated with maintaining that many dogs.

One of those kennel owners feels animal control may be needed in some neighborhoods, but not in hers. The problem is, you can't write law -- or enforce law -- in that kind of piecemeal way. You can't say, "We haven't had a crime on this block for 20 years, so we don't need law enforcement here. We'll opt out of that portion of our taxes." Either you have the law, and enforce it, or you don't.

It may be true that the current proposal in Houston would place an imballanced burden on kennel owners. If that is the case, some other option should be found. Animal control was important enough to include on the city codes, and it should be important enough to enforce. It is one of those things that isn't visible all the time. When it's working best, it's hardly visible at all. But it matters. It improves the quality of life for the animals and for people. Animal control ensures animals are being properly cared for, and it also protects people from strays that can sometimes cause problems.

In places where animal control is simply considered a part of the local infrastructure, and where it is supported by tax dollars, everyone pays for it -- even those who don't own pets. They do that not because they particularly want to, but because it has to be done. If the current plan being considered in Houston isn't workable, people need to put their heads together and come up with one that is.