After comments from 50 members of the public Wednesday night, the Rio Rancho Governing Body decided to revamp proposed animal ordinance amendments and allow for more public review.

Members of the public, some Rio Rancho residents and some not, flooded the council chambers, and animal activists protested outside City Hall. Most speakers told the governing body they didn’t want regulations on pet stores and circuses loosened, but others disagreed.

Proposed changes would have required dogs to be sterilized; removed many restrictions on animal exhibitions, including those that prohibited the Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus from performing in Rio Rancho because of a settlement over alleged animal welfare violations; repealed the ban on selling dogs and cats in pet stores; and condensed operational standards for animal care facilities.

The ban on selling dogs and cats in pet stores doesn’t take effect until 2015, but only one pet store in Rio Rancho is still selling the animals.

After listening to comments, councilors voted to restore all operational standards for professional animal care facilities, and debated whether to make canine sterilization mandatory.

Councilor Chuck Wilkins suggested imposing a $175 fine for an unsterilization dog on the loose, plus the same amount if the animal wasn’t licensed, unless the owner had the animal licensed and fixed within 30 days after a citation. Also, he said unpermitted breeders were the source of the animal overpopulation problem, so he wanted to increase the fine for breeding without a permit from $100 to $300.

Because of the wholesale changes, Mayor Tom Swisstack took the advice of acting City Manager James Babin to have two more readings of the ordinance at upcoming meetings instead of passing it immediately. The councilors voted unanimously to withdraw the motion to pass amendments.

At the beginning of the business item, Councilor Mark Scott said he’d been stalked, cursed at and criticized based on inaccurate information. He said 95 percent of the emails he’d received didn’t come from Rio Rancho residents and most people he talked to hadn’t read the ordinance with the proposed changes.

Scott said people have a right to hold different opinions and others should listen to them.

“But I do not want to live in a country where the few dictate how the rest of us live,” he said.

During the public comment period, Linda Hayes said some believe weakening animal regulations is good for business, but the same argument was once made about slavery and child labor.

Also, Laura Bonar of Animal Protection Voters said an online petition her group set up opposing the animal ordinance amendments received more than 250 signatures, more than 100 of which were from Rio Rancho residents.

Councilor Lonnie Clayton said the city lost hundreds of thousands of dollars when the circus didn’t come, plus $13,600 per year in gross receipts tax from Critters Pet Store, which closed.

“We have a situation in this city right now where money is so tight it squeaks when we talk about it,” he said.

Rio Rancho needs to encourage all business, Clayton said.

Pet stores

Rio Rancho resident Nancy Yarmac said even if 50 dogs were sold at $1,000 in pet stores, the resulting gross receipts tax wouldn’t go far.

New Mexico House Rabbit Society President Bill Velasquez said the Rio Rancho animal shelter’s euthanasia rate has dropped from 33 percent of the animals coming in to 25 percent since the animal ordinance passed. Allowing cat and dog sells increases euthanasia numbers because there’s more breeding and people get a dog without researching the breed and then give it up, he said.

Corrales resident Dawn Janz, who said she did most of her shopping in Rio Rancho, said animal lovers would support Albuquerque over Rio Rancho if the ban were repealed.

“Animal activists are relentless, committed and we have very long memories,” she said.

Councilor Tamara Gutierrez said pet store owners had plenty of time to rearrange their business plans to stay open without selling dogs and cats. Albuquerque has the same ban, she said, so Rio Rancho won’t lose retail money to its neighbor in that case.

Executive Director of Animal Humane New Mexico Peggy Weigle said before the animal ordinance, she received calls every month from Rio Rancho residents scandalized over pet store conditions. She hasn’t received one since last year, when the ordinance passed.

One local pet store, Rio Rancho Pets, still sells cats and dogs.

The owner of that store, Eric Newsome, said 321 people signed a petition supporting him. Plus, Nishelle Newsome said she collected more than 100 signatures on a support petition of her own.

Eric Newsome said he educates adults and children about animals.

“My pet store, I try hard to keep it clean and decent; the animals are decent,” he said, adding he uses a good breeder.

David Baldwin of Rio Rancho said the original animal ordinance had a lot of good things, but it deprived people of a livelihood.

“There’s a name for that,” he said. “It’s called oppression.”

Crystal Miller, former Critters Pet Store owner, said the dog and cat sales ban was the main reason she closed her store. The closure put five people out of work and forced her into bankruptcy and early retirement. She said sterilization and laws in states where breeders work have more effect than the ban in pet stores.

The circus

Terri Adams Perry of Rio Rancho said she thought the regulations for circuses were conservative since 38 cities and counties and several nations have banned them. Animal-free and humane circuses also exist, she said.

Gutierrez said circuses aren’t banned from the city but must comply with U.S. Department of Agriculture rules, the Animal Welfare Act and state law.

“We should not want those businesses coming into the city if they’re not in compliance,” she said.

On the other side, Brian Shaffer, president of the local stagehands union that represents Santa Ana Star Center employees, said union members had relied on Ringling Bros. work to pay mortgages and feed their families. Some people had to apply for government assistance because of the lost jobs.

Non-union Star Center employees were hurt, too, Shaffer continued.

“It is about fairness, jobs and common sense,” he said.

People who travel with the circus say the animals aren’t mistreated, and Shaffer said he believes them.

Councilor Tim Crum said it’s good to have a circus in town, and there are sanctions if the circus does wrong.

Spaying and neutering

“Spaying and neutering is a medical decision,” said Placitas veterinarian Shiri Hoshen.

In recent years, she said, research has indicated that sterilization decreases the risk of some health problems but increases risk of others. Dog owners in consultation with their vets should make that decision, she said.

Mary Carlson, a Rio Rancho resident, said she follows all criteria to be a reputable breeder. She also said mandatory sterilization would increase city costs to enforce, and people tend to avoid such rules by not licensing and vaccinating their dogs.

On the other hand, Marea Cheval of Albuquerque said the rule would exempt people participating in American Kennel Club activities. Its goal is to cut down on accidental litters and backyard breeders looking for profits and avoiding taxes, she said.

Clayton wanted to make trained working dogs exempt from the regulation as well, but otherwise, he said, it was a logical way to control the canine population.