"Too many dogs and cats are being killed because too many are being produced," she said. "For those of us trying to reduce the number of animals being killed, it feels like trying to stop a tidal wave with a paper towel."
The proposal came out of community requests for Huntington Beach to build its own animal shelter rather than contracting out to the county shelter in Orange, Bohr said. Though he ruled out that option for now because it would likely take Central Park land, Bohr said shelter workers suggested this second option.
"What few concerns that come up can all be addressed by what we do here tonight," he said at the meeting. "Who enforces it? Do we do a phase-in program, with six months where it's a 'fix-it' ticket? How do we best implement such a program so we can have lots fewer of our pets put to sleep?"
The one dissenting vote came from Councilman Don Hansen, who said enforcement could prove difficult and cost residents too much. Councilwoman Debbie Cook was absent from the meeting.
"I would rather have the city work to promote spaying and neutering," Hansen said. "People use an old cliché of herding cats, and this is exactly what we're trying to do. I think when it comes down to enforcement, the police chief's going to look at us and go, 'Do you want me to chase the murderers or the cats?' "
When council members asked Police Chief Ken Small about enforcing the ordinance, he said it would likely not be a problem. Bans on smoking on the beach and use of cellphones in libraries did not prove difficult to enforce, he added.
"Most people are law-abiding," he said. "And most of these issues will fall on Animal Services."
