New permit aimed at providing an incentive for San Antonio residents to sterilize their pets

By Lisa Norwood, Public Information Officer for Animal Care Services

Given the community’s ongoing animal overpopulation issue, it’s important for residents to understand the importance of sterilizing their companion animals. While Animal Care Services (ACS) strongly encourages pet owners to embrace spay/neuter, pet sterilization is not mandatory in the City of San Antonio. Pet owners who do choose to keep their pets intact can do so with the purchase of an intact dog permit.

The new permit goes into effect January 1, 2009.

Interim ACS Director Vincent Medley says the Intact Dog permit was one of the recent revisions to the City’s Chapter 5 animal care ordinance. “ACS has the tragic job of euthanizing thousands of forsaken animals each year” says Medley. “Many of them are unwanted or abandoned litters of puppies. This new permit incentivizes pet sterilization as a means of controlling our community’s animal overpopulation problem and ACS is prepared to help as well with regular low cost spay/neuter clinics.”

The intact dog permit was approved by City Council in December 2007 but its implementation was delayed until January 2009 to allow for an increase in the community’s spay/neuter resources. The new annual permit costs $50 and applies to any owner or keeper of a dog in the City of San Antonio that is not spayed or neutered.

Dogs less than six months old are exempt from the permit as are animals that qualify for certified medical exceptions from a licensed veterinarian. The new law also does not apply to temporary or new residents.

Details about the Intact Dog permit are available at www.saacs.net and permit applications can be found on line as well. Non-compliance with City ordinance can result in citations, fines and mandatory court appearances.

HOW TO HELP:

• Avoid the intact dog permit altogether, get your pets spayed and neutered. Animal Care Services will continue to offer weekly low cost spay/neuter clinics to assist pet owners who are interested in getting their pets sterilized. Residents can call Animal Care Services at 210-207-4PET or log onto www.saacs.net for more information on upcoming clinics. For additional San Antonio area low-cost spay/neuter resources, see the OwnUp SA website.

• Learn more about the importance of having your companion animals fixed by joining the Spay/Neuter Fever! community

For more information:

• Spay/Neuter Resources

Posted by Jennifer Hayes, Best Friends staff
Photo credit: taken by Jennifer Hayes