Las Vegas Sun

March 29, 2024

County considers changing animal codes

Chris Giunchigliani

Chris Giunchigliani

Clark County commissioners are considering updating a large section of county code that relates to animals.

Commissioners spent a large potion of Tuesday’s meeting discussing the changes and getting input from members of the public.

The changes are the result of work by the county’s Animal Advisory Committee, which has been reviewing the code since February 2009.

“I never thought I’d spend a majority of my time as a commissioner on this but, you know, it’s very important to our constituents,” said Commissioner Chris Giunchigliani, who said she has been working on the changes for more than two years.

A number of changes to the code were suggested in the past few days, Giunchigliani said, so to give people more time to review the rules, commissioners will hold another public hearing on the proposal before voting on it during their next meeting on June 15.

Many of the changes are simple updates to the code, some to bring it in line with state statutes. But one area that has yet to be resolved is a proposal requiring shelters to keep animals for 24 hours if the owner comes to claim an animal but does not have sufficient proof of ownership.

Shelters are required to wait three days after an animal is brought in before euthanizing it.

Some animals have been euthanized after their owners were turned away because they didn’t have proof of ownership, commissioners said.

Christine Robinson, executive director of the Animal Foundation, which runs the Lied Animal Shelter, said the shelter tries to get every animal home and works with customers, but she is concerned about the impact of the new rule, especially if the owner comes on the third day just before the animal is to be euthanized.

“The purpose of the three days, of course, is to allow the owner to come claim their animal. The fourth day could very much be a burden fiscally and otherwise for the foundation,” Robinson said.

Commissioners said a solution might be if the shelter required an additional fee to help pay for the extra day if they need more time to get the required paperwork to claim their pet.

Giunchigliani said she would continue to refine the language of the changes to the code before the commissioners discuss it again in two weeks.

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