Deciding on dog numbers – it’s ‘ruff’
By Suzanne Werre
Editor
The Underwood City Commission spent much of Monday night’s meeting discussing how tight the reins need to be on the city’s ordinances regarding pets. Should they set a maximum of two dogs per household, perhaps four, maybe more?
Should cats be included in the mix? How many cats should people be allowed to have in town.
And how much should the permits cost to have those animals?
Those were some of the questions the commissioners discussed Monday night, opting to mull those questions over some more before making a decision.
According to City Auditor Diane Schell, the number of animals owned by someone is a separate issue from the breeding issue that has also been discussed recently. If the ordinance regarding breeding is revised, those who want to be breeders will have to apply for a conditional use permit to have a business run out of their residential-area home. It’s a separate issue from how many pets can be kept, although the number of animals kept in the home would still be at issue.
When applying for a conditional use permit, neighbors within 300 feet of the home will be sent a letter informing them of the permit request, noted commissioner Patti Werre.
