A Connecticut city is considering whether to limit the number of dogs and cats its residents are allowed to own.
The proposed Hartford ordinance is intended to help pets and their owners, according to its proponents.
A public hearing will be held Dec. 15 at 7 p.m. at Hartford city hall to consider the proposal to limit the allowable number of cats and dogs to a total of six per home. The proposal, introduced by councilors Maly Rosado and John Gale, would allow for any combination of cats and dogs up to six unless the care is temporary (up to 90 days) and under the supervision of a licensed rescue organization.
Licensed kennels and litters of puppies or kittens up to 12 weeks old are exempt.
The ordinance, if passed, would be enforced by the Hartford Police Department’s Animal Control Division, which would conduct inspections, issue warnings and require compliance. Failure to comply could result in fines up to $100 per day for each day the violation continued after written notice and could also result in the removal of the animals from the home.
The proposed ordinance says its purpose “is to promote public health, safety, and welfare, and to prevent nuisances arising from keeping excessive numbers of domestic animals in residential areas. The City seeks to balance responsible pet ownership with the need to maintain safe, sanitary, and peaceful neighborhoods.”
Rosado said she hopes an ordinance will prevent suffering.
“Over the years I have heard about situations where families had seven, eight or even nine animals in one home,” Rosado said by text.
“Many times these were puppies that were never vaccinated for parvo because of financial hardship. In several cases the puppies became sick and died,” Rosado said. “These situations are heartbreaking and they affect both the animals and the residents who love them.
“As someone who loves animals, this concerns me deeply. My intention is not to punish anyone. My goal is to protect residents, support responsible pet ownership and prevent animals from suffering or dying in overcrowded conditions,” she said.
Rosado said the idea did not originate with her but with the city’s longtime animal control officer, Sherry DeGenova, who said the department has struggled with repeated cases of overcrowding, neglect and unsafe conditions in homes in Hartford.
“Having served as an Animal Control Officer in the City for over 25 years, I have witnessed firsthand the difficulties this issue has presented for our department,” DeGenova wrote to Rosado, asking for her to propose an ordinance.
DeGenova told the Courant the issue of homes with too many animals has been worsening for a long time and is often correlated with owners who are either irresponsible or who get overwhelmed by the situation, resulting in problems for the pets, the owners and the neighbors.
“It comes down to nuisance and dogs getting loose and dogs that are aggressive and barking and a whole bunch of things tied together and it’s getting worse,” DeGenova said. “I’m hoping we can get some kind of an ordinance to make people more responsible. If you want to have 10 dogs, you need to make sure they’re licensed, vaccinated, spayed or neutered or nine out of 10 times you’ll end up with 25 dogs … we’re just trying to stop the wildfire.”
DeGenova often faces neighbors of properties that have too many dogs who ask why nothing is being done.
“The neighbors want to know what are you doing and there’s nothing I can do. You can have 20 dogs on your property at this point. We need to do something where we can get a little bit more control,” she said.
The city council was very responsive to her concerns, DeGenova said, with a draft in place within 48 hours.
Rosado said she listened to DeGenova and proposed the policy in order to begin the conversation on the issue. Public discussion, she said, is an important part of the process.
“Nothing has been decided yet. Community input is important, and I want to make sure that any next step we take is balanced, thoughtful and focused on the wellbeing of both residents and their pets.”
Several other Connecticut towns have ordinances limiting the number of cats and dogs residents can keep. Simsbury’s total is six while East Hartford limits cats and dogs over a few months of age to five. Bristol classifies any residence with more than four dogs as a kennel and while the code does not limit the number of cats, it does prohibit ownership of any cat over the age of 6 months that has not been spayed or neutered. Norwich limits its residents to “no more than 4 adults of a species per household.”
While many towns are silent on the issue, New Britain has thorough animal regulations including on allowable ammonia levels, animal hoarding, feral cat colonies and breeding. The city also allows for the trapping of pigeons, with permit, which can be used for food, and for the keeping of bees.