Residents Encouraged To Review Revised Animal Ordinance

McAllen residents are being encouraged to review the city's revised animal ordinance, recently adopted by the City Commission, and they're also being urged to sterilize their pets.

In an interview with the McAllen Cable Network (MCN 12), City of McAllen Deputy City Attorney Ignacio Perez spoke about some of the main modifications made to the animal ordinance.

• To address the overpopulation and the soaring costs of euthanizing animals, the ordinance offers incentives to pet owners in two ways. When pets are vaccinated, the cost of the license fee is cut in half. Secondly, when a pet owner is found to be in violation of the animal ordinance, if their pet is spayed or neutered, the cost of the fine is also cut in half.
• The sale of animals in the open is prohibited in the general city ordinance but the revised animal ordinance goes farther to prevent the sale of animals along roadways and in flea markets. Under the revised pet law, pets may only be sold in pet shops. Pet shops are also now licensed the McAllen Police Department's Animal Control Division and are subject to random inspections.
• Fines under the new animal ordinance become progressive. If someone is found guilty of a violation the amount of the fine doubles the next time the offense is commited. Maximum fines are not to exceed $500 dollars.
• Vicious animals are also addressed farther in the revised ordinance. If an animal is deemed to be vicious for aggressive behavior, the pet owner must comply with obide by regulations. Those regulations can include confining the animal, making the animal wear a muzzle in public, and posting property signs warning of a vicious animal. Violaters of the vicious animal portion of the ordinance can also be subject to fines.

To review the entire ordinance, click here: Link To Animal Ordinance

Anyone who has questions about the revised animal ordinance can call the city attorney's office at (956) 681-1090 or the McAllen Police Department's Animal Control Division at (956) 681-2124.