Overview:
Following the lead of other cities in the state, Fresno will look to introduce harsher fines and criminal penalties to curb the increase in the stray pet population.
The ordinance will be introduced formally on the Thursday city council agenda before appearing again for a final passage at their Aug.29 meeting. Should it pass, it will go into effect 30 days later.
The city will be taking a more aggressive approach to curb a rampant stray pet overpopulation problem.
The City of Fresno held a news conference on Wednesday to introduce a new ordinance that will bring harsher penalties to residents found to be illegally breeding and selling pets.
Penalties include $1,000 fines for every animal attempted to be sold by the owner, and a possible criminal misdemeanor charge should issues persist. Charges can be dropped if the owner shows “conclusive proof” of spaying or neutering their pets, as well as the purchase of a breeders license.
City Council President Annalisa Perea — who is co-sponsoring this ordinance with Councilmember Garry Bredefeld — said at the news conference that the policy is necessary to curb an overpopulation in the stray pet population. The issue, the city says, is in part due to illegal and unlicensed dog breeders and sellers.
“People in our city are breeding animals faster than we can save them,” Perea said. “It’s time that we hold these illegal breeders accountable.”
The law will also require city residents to obtain a breeder’s permit before selling pets off. The permit will only allow for breeding one time, per household annually, and sellers will need to show their license during the selling or transferring of a pet. Advertisements will also need to show breeders license numbers.
Breeder’s permits will be $2,000, and will be treated as an annual fee. Sellers will need that on top of the required unaltered dog and business licenses.
“We believe that this is the necessary action needed to finally be able to take control of our overpopulation of animals within our city limits, ” Perea said. “And to finally alleviate the burden we are seeing within the Fresno Animal Shelter.”
Deputy City Manager Alma Torres said there are 200 dogs in the center, with their general kennel capacity being 128; There are 125 cats at the center, with their general capacity being 63.
Mona Ahmed is the president of Fresno Furry Friends, a local nonprofit that assists residents with spaying and neutering their pets. Supporting the ordinance, Ahmed said illegal breeders are to blame for the continued overpopulation of stray pets.
“I am glad that we are going after offensive breeders. This is the root of the problem in Fresno.” Ahmed said
“…It is hard for me to see all these animals when I go to the shelters,” Ahmed added. “Their eyes, when they look at me, they always think, ‘Oh, she’s here to save me.’ And when I go next day, and then when I find out they have been put down because nobody came for them because non stop animals are coming in.”
Ahmed said she especially is disturbed by the euthanization of strays. About 80% of the time somebody brings a stray animal to the shelter, Ahmed said, it is actually an owner bringing in their own pets.
The animal shelters will continue to have a moratorium on taking in healthy animals.
City Attorney Andrew Janz said their ordinance was modeled after successful policies the city has seen in cities like LA, San Diego and Palm Springs.
Bredefeld said the overpopulation issue has persisted throughout his eight years as city councilmember. In that span, the city has sought solutions like the introduction of the Fresno Animal Center in 2022, which Bredefeld said cost the city over $20 million, and a working partnership with the UC Davis Koret Shelter Program.
“The goal is clear: We will crack down on illegal breeding and end this practice in the City of Fresno,” Bredefeld said.
The ordinance will only affect city jurisdictions, leading Bredefeld to encourage the county to approve similar ordinances to continue to help solve the overpopulation problem.
The city will be enforcing the ordinance by staying vigilant on typical avenues for illegal sellers, like newspaper listings and online marketplaces, as well as working in partnership with local shelters. Janz also encouraged the public to continue to report any illegal behavior through resources like the FresGO.
The ordinance will be formally introduced at the Thursday council meeting. The ordinance will be voted on for final approval at the Aug. 29 meeting. Should it pass, the ordinance will go into effect 30 days later.
The issue of stray pets is not new for the council, who have heard concerns raised by residents on multiple occasions this year.
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