May 2024

Kelly Crouch, CFA Legislative Information Liaison

Already known to be unfriendly to cat and dog breeders with its complicated animal ordinance, the City of Los Angeles exacerbated things last month with a moratorium on issuing dog breeding permits in response to a shelter crisis. Cat breeding permits are not included in the moratorium ordinance. The ordinance allows lifting the “temporary“ moratorium if the three-month moving dog occupancy average equals 75% or less of total capacity. Should the dog breeding permit moratorium ever be lifted, the ordinance provides that a new intermittent moratorium shall be issued anytime the three-month dog occupancy running average exceeds 75% of capacity.

The shelter system’s excessive overcrowding, approximately 200% of dog kennel capacity, has been blamed on the housing crisis, veterinary shortage , and the rerouting of medical supplies to human hospitals during the pandemic. When people and their pets lose their homes, and affordable veterinary care and sterilization procedures are unavailable, the problem will not be solved by a moratorium on dog breeding permits. The ordinance is a scapegoat response that makes it appear the city is doing something when it cannot address the real issues. 

People who are losing their homes or do not have access to affordable veterinary care for their animals cannot afford the $235 breeding permit and cannot comply with the other requirements. These include microchipping the animal and its offspring, limiting it to one litter per year, and advertising, inspections, sales, and reporting requirements. The City of Los Angeles also has a pet limit law for dogs and cats over four months. The limit is three dogs and five cats, but all cats must be sterilized if there are over three. The limit law does not apply to permitted cat or dog kennels or pet stores.

When you give the government a yard, there is always a risk that it may return for the rest of the mile. The real issues causing shelter overcrowding gave the city an excuse to get closer to banning breeding altogether. Unfortunately, other governments may decide to copy it as many face similar issues.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCE: CFA LEGISLATIVE GROUP REFERENCE: Integrated text of “An ordinance adding Subsections (f) and (g) to Section 53.15.2 of Article 3, Chapter V of the Los Angeles Municipal Code to provide a temporary moratorium on the issuance of new dog breeding permits until the dog population in the City’s animal shelters is reduced and to add a severability clause,” including SEC. 53.15.2. BREEDING AND TRANSFER OF DOGS AND CATS. Other References to cat limits, cat kennels and permits therefor are included. May 2024