Dog owners get reprieve on fees
By Danyel Daniels
Diversity Institute Fellow
08.11.03
No one speaking out at Tuesday’s Metro City Council meeting disagreed with the benefits of having pets spayed and neutered. But a bill to require dog owners to do so failed to receive enough support to proceed to a third reading.
The bill, sponsored by Council member Janis Sontany, would have fined pet owners $15-$20 annually for failing to spay or neuter dogs.
Many supporters stood outside the Ben West Library building and voiced their concerns through organized chants.
“Something has to be done,” Jacqueline Sontany said. “Ten thousand animals a year here in Nashville are euthanized,” she said. “People need to be responsible for pets.”
Her sister Jamie Sontany cited statistics showing that 1,605 animals were picked up in July alone. She said 75 percent of them were destroyed and the other 25 percent were adopted, she said.
Council member Sontany argued her case but was disappointed when the bill failed to pass.
“It is time for us to step up to the bar,” she said. “We should be ashamed that we are not the ones taking care of our responsibilities.”
Laura Turner and her dog stood outside the meeting hoping the bill would pass. She wished any measure to pass that would help decrease the unwanted pet population.
“I have seen stacks of bodies of those who wagged their tails,” Turner said. “I’ve seen [euthanasia] others have not seen.”
Many council members agreed the unwanted pet population needs to be addressed, but they argued the bill could not achieve that purpose because it would not force people to spay or neuter their dogs.
Lori Cohen, a dog owner, said she would not oppose paying the fee if the money went to the Humane Society. However, she said the bill probably would not pass because other regulations, such as the leash law, are not enforced.
“I don’t think it’s enforceable,” Cohen said of the bill.
The cost to spay or neuter a dog depends on the dog’s sex, age, size and its overall health. For instance, the Elm Hill Veterinary Clinic, 2733 Old Elm Hill Pike, charges $79.11 to $110.52 for dogs weighing 1 to 20 pounds.