North Little Rock Animal Control is asking the City Council to change a provision in a city code that has allowed unregulated nonprofits to sell or give away dogs and cats without the pets first being spayed or neutered.
A proposed ordinance on North Little Rock’s City Council agenda filed with the city clerk’s office Tuesday would amend Section 4.1.2 in the Animal Control Regulations of the North Little Rock Municipal Code to remove nonprofit organizations from falling under the definition of “animal establishment.”
The City Council will meet Monday.
Billy Grace, North Little Rock Animal Control director, said some groups had formed under a nonprofit status and would set up in parking lots or along roadsides within the city limits to give away or sell dogs and cats that could still reproduce. The city regulation exempts nonprofits.
Animals are spayed or neutered before they’re adopted from the city-run shelter and from recognized groups, kennels and pet shops that fall under the city-code definition.
“This was a mistake from the start,” Grace said of the provision that he said was only recently discovered. “We believe in spay and neuter. We believe in trying to dissuade people from having litters.
“Some of the rescue groups were [adopting out] animals that were not spayed or neutered,” Grace said.
Matt Fleming, deputy city attorney, said the change proposed to the City Council would take away the exemption for groups listed as 501(c)3 under the Internal Revenue Code that wasn’t the intent of a 2009 city ordinance on which city animal-control regulations are based.
“Those groups selling or giving away dog and cats would now be subject to the Animal Control Municipal Code chapter” if the legislation is passed, Fleming said.
Approved groups can still operate within the city but need an animal establishment permit issued by Animal Control after an inspection, Grace said.
Arkansas, Pages 13 on 10/23/2013