Title
Proposed Revisions to Lake County Code of Ordinances Chapter 172, Animals - Mackey
Body
Revisions are proposed to two sections of Chapter 172, one pertaining to animal-aggressive dispositions (Section 172.12) and one regarding the pet limit (Section 172.15).
The proposed revisions to 172.12 are in subsection (B) and contain requirements pertaining to when the owner of a dog that has been declared animal-aggressive (when it has killed or seriously injured another owned animal) wants to give away or sell the dog or move to another jurisdiction.
* The proposed revisions would require an owner to notify Animal Care and Control prior to transferring the dog to another person so that a new disposition letter can be provided to the new owner that states the new owner is now responsible for meeting the requirements.
* The proposed revisions would also require an owner to notify Animal Care and Control in both the jurisdiction to which he or she is moving, and the jurisdiction he or she is leaving. These revisions are modeled after similar requirements in the Illinois Animal Control Act for owners of a dog that has been declared vicious (when it has killed or seriously injured a person).
The proposed revisions to Section 172.15 are to address and ultimately discourage irresponsible breeding of dogs and cats. The Illinois Department of Agriculture (IDOA) licenses and regulates the breeding of dogs and cats, but only where the breeder has more than five breeding female animals. The pet limit of four dogs and four cats in Chapter 172 restricts the number of pets that can be kept in a residence, but it only applies to dogs or cats older than six months. In unincorporated Lake County, zoning and property use restrictions prohibit "regular" use of a property for breeding and selling pets, but that standard is difficult to establish and prove. Thus, the existing regulations leave a gap regarding regulating and discouraging irresponsible "backyard breeding."
* The pro...
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