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CAMPBELL -- City officials have passed an ordinance aimed at providing a clearer definition of, and requirements for, primary enclosures for outdoor pets and what they have to meet in an effort to keep the animals safer.
"We're very strong dog lovers, and we're not going to tolerate mistreating animals in our city," City Council president George Levendis said after Wednesday's regular council meeting.
In an effort to combat such a problem that also includes neglect -- and to give added teeth to a tethering ordinance the city approved about two years ago -- officials listed a series of conditions for outdoor pens and other enclosures. Such spaces have to be at least 600 square feet per animal, Levendis noted.
Any walls or fences must be built to secure pets from other domestic animals or unauthorized people, and have to be 6 to 8 feet tall with at least two sides that allow the animal to see beyond the enclosure. The ordinance also forbids locking pets in a shed or similar structure.
Also, such outdoor areas are required to be sufficient enough to protect animals from sun, rain, hail, snow, wind and other inclement weather deemed detrimental to pets' well-being, and must provide indoor access. In addition, outdoor areas that include garages are not permitted to have concrete and wire-mesh flooring -- both of which can cause musculoskeletal problems for pets and harbor bacteria, fungi and other dangerous particles while retaining cold, the ordinance states.
If a garage is considered a primary enclosure, no other enclosures are permitted to be erected in that space, according to language in the ordinance.
The measure also includes provisions for removing and disposing of food, waste, bedding and debris in an effort to minimize vermin infestations, odors and disease risks.
Restrictions regarding keeping animals in primary enclosures include when the temperature or wind-chill value are 35 degrees or lower, when the temperature is 85 degrees or higher and during severe weather watches or warnings.
The ordinance also prohibits animals from being tethered in a primary enclosure. Violators can be charged with a first-degree misdemeanor or have to forfeit the animal or livestock. In that case, the former owners will incur costs associated with the care of the seized animal, it states.
The ordinance takes on added urgency also because winter is here, Levendis said.
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