The Los Angeles City Council made a decision on Tuesday to temporarily halt the issuance of new dog breeding licenses due to overcrowding at city-operated animal shelters. According to the most recent available data, the city’s six shelters, with a combined total of 737 kennels, housed over 1,500 dogs in February.
This overcrowding has resulted in dogs being tripled up in kennels or housed in crates in hallways for extended periods. The city’s euthanasia of dogs has increased by 22% compared to the same period last year.
American Kennel Club (Credits: Redemption Road K9)
Reports from The Times have highlighted substandard conditions at shelters, such as insufficient dog walking and inadequate food supplies for smaller animals.
Councilmember Eunisses Hernandez, chair of the committee overseeing the city’s Animal Services Department, expressed dismay over the city’s continued issuing of breeding permits despite the overcrowded shelter conditions, deeming it unacceptable.
However, the American Kennel Club (AKC), the world’s largest not-for-profit all-breed registry, opposes the ban, stating that blaming responsible breeders for the shelter crisis will not alleviate the situation for affected dogs.
The American Kennel Club (Credits: Dogs Australia)
Staycee Dains, the general manager of the Animal Services Department, mentioned at a hearing last year that many individuals purchase city breeder permits to circumvent the requirement for spaying or neutering their pets rather than for breeding purposes. The city currently does not regulate breeders, and unlicensed backyard breeders persist as a problem.
The temporary ban on new dog breeding permits will be lifted when the three-month average of the daily inventory count of dogs at city-run shelters falls to 75% or less of the department’s total dog kennel capacity.
PETA Senior Vice President Lisa Lange commended the council members for their decision but emphasized the need for further actions, including the enforcement of existing spay and neuter laws.
