Information Despite protests from animal welfare advocates, ordinance amendments to lift a ban on dog and cat sales and to decrease restrictions on animal exhibitions in Rio Rancho took a step toward being enacted Wednesday night.
The Rio Rancho Governing Body voted 4-2 to pass a first reading of the amendments at its meeting at City Hall. The amendments must pass a second reading Oct. 24 to become law.
Mayor Tom Swisstack had proposed a change to require dog sterilization unless owners obtained an unaltered dog permit. That requirement already exists for cats.
Crum didn’t want the dog sterilization mandate, but no one else opposed the rule.
Also, Crum had asked to remove the ban on pet stores selling cats and dogs.
Rio Rancho resident Tom Defeo said pet stores rely on puppy and kitten mills, which keep breeding mothers in miserable conditions. He said no responsible breeder would sell to a pet store.
“Approve this ordinance and you’ll surely be contributing to a puppy mill or a kitty mill somewhere,” Defeo said.
Albuquerque resident Sherry Mangold said she worked for the attorney general’s office for a few years and received 28 calls about sub-standard living conditions and sickness, injury or death in pets from Rio Rancho pet stores.
From another view, Rio Rancho veterinarian George Abernathy said since the ban had started to take effect, he’d seen less respiratory disease but more parvo, which is more deadly. If the city bans sales of dogs and cats, Abernathy said, people just get them elsewhere.
“I think the animals would be healthier if the city regulates (pet store dog and cat sales),” he said.
Crum said he didn’t ask for the removal of the ban to increase gross receipts tax revenue, as some speakers suggested, but because of individual rights. He said he didn’t think it was fair to use a “broad-brush policy” against pet stores and breeders.
“I assure you this, I’m not on the side of cruelty, ever,” he said.
Clayton sponsored an amendment removing requirements that animal exhibitions have no citations, settlements or accusations of animal welfare law violations for years before performing in Rio Rancho. He also suggested changing operational procedure rules for professional animal care facilities and instituting twice-yearly inspections to be sure they followed the rules.
Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus couldn’t perform in the city this year because it had a settlement with the U.S. Department of Agriculture over accusations of mistreating animals.
Stephan vanHorn of Rio Rancho questioned why animal exhibitions should have extra regulations that prevent them from performing in the city after a problem with the Animal Welfare Act, even if the issue was corrected.
“Our regulations shouldn’t force businesses to move on to the next city that doesn’t have those regulations,” he said.
Rio Rancho resident Nancy Yarmac said when the circus couldn’t perform in Rio Rancho because of the settlement, she was proud of the city and believed that should have been a teaching moment for local children.
“Could it be that the council is considering the almighty dollar over animal welfare?” Yarmac asked.
Local veterinarian Kimberly Hamel said restrictions for the circus were a federal standard and she didn’t think they were overly restrictive.
Thomas said she’d received more than 130 emails from around the state and nation, including 32 from Rio Rancho, asking for rules to stay the same.
If councilors want to change the animal ordinance, Thomas said, they should appoint another task force to consider the matter, as was done originally.