At-Large Position 5
Animals, Chapter 6
In January 2022, city council updated Chapter 6 of the code of ordinances dealing with animal welfare in Houston. I worked with the ARA, BARC, and key stakeholders from the animal welfare community to draft the revisions which include:
- Instituting mandatory microchipping. You may speak with your vet or visit BARC’s wellness clinic for more information on how to microchip your pet.
- Updating “adequate shelter” standards, requiring outdoor animals always have access to clean drinking water and a shelter that is clean, sturdy, and protecting them from weather;
- Addressing puppy mill retail sales to require all pet stores within city limits to sell only dogs and cats sourced from a humane organization or municipal/county animal shelter;
- Updating the aggressive and dangerous dogs ordinance to streamline the procedure to designate a “dangerous dog” and strengthen the response to animals that attack other animals; and
- Addressing stray animals by reducing the hold time on strays at BARC from 72 to 48 hours to allow for adoptions or transfers for animals without microchips.
FAQ's on the recent changes can be found here.
In 2022, City council allocated $1.5 million in ARPA funding for spay and neuter services across the city. The first $500,000 allowed for BARC and our partners (Houston PetSet, K-9 Angels, The Empty Shelter Project, and Houston Spay Neuter Clinic) to spay/neuter 2,699 pets between January and June 2022. The remaining $1 million will be distributed upon conclusion of the city’s procurement process to further spay and neuter efforts.
For information on BARC's wellness services, please visit BARC's website.
