ODESSA, Texas — The animal control ordinance in Odessa is close to changing as the city continues efforts on stray animal issues. The hope is this will be a benefit for the animal shelter, pet owners and veterinarians.
Odessans should be ready to see some looser restrictions. The previous ordinance limited pet owners to a combination of four dogs or cats, and there is a consensus from city council for that to increase to six, along with some other changes.
Furry friends are keeping Odessa busy.
“It’s a positive for everything," said Odessa Mayor Javier Joven. "It’s a positive to be able to control diseases, viruses and population, which we’re all in favor of doing so – and doing it humanely.”
The amended ordinance would allow more pets and a longer timeframe for spay and neuter.
“We had some discussions with veterinarians about spay and neuter at four months," Mayor Joven said. "They actually asked us to move it over to six because they’re more mature and that’s when it’s more viable to do it – it’s safer and less complications – and so we heeded that.”
Mayor Joven says part of their efforts include the ability to work with humane organizations.
“We’re always looking to work with any organizations," Mayor Joven said. "When they bring in proposals, we’ll definitely discuss those. We’re always open to new ideas and new partnerships that makes viable sense to the citizens and the financial viability of the city. Ultimately, we will always keep control and oversights, and it’s a partnership – we will never holistically just hand over our services and our facilities.”
A collaborative effort has led to these changes.
“I think this is something we all can work with, we heard you, we listened and we complied, and we will do so," Mayor Joven said. "But at one point to say ‘look, this is where we’re going to hold the line, this is the middle ground, this is where we’re going to hold it and I think it’s going to be beneficial -- let’s work through this plan,’ because if we’re constantly going back and tweaking and tweaking we have no continuity, and we need that.”
For the city, saving cats and dogs is a consistent focus.
“We don’t want to be able to have to destroy a large amount of population of our animals because we’re not being proactive, and it is really critical that we stay in front of it, and we are seeking out as much help and information as we can as long as it is a partnership and it makes sense to all parties involved," Mayor Joven said.
Mayor Joven mentioned that they hope this will help the animal shelter as well when it comes to capacity and space. He added that Odessans will need to police themselves in order to abide by the ordinance, which will need to be voted on in an upcoming meeting before it can become official.