Microchipping dogs and cats could become mandatory in Wichita
WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — You could face new city rules if you own a dog or cat in Wichita city limits. The City of Wichita is considering changing some pet ordinances and procedures.
One of the proposals includes mandatory microchipping of all dogs and cats. Another would change licensing fees for dogs.
Another proposal would allow you to get a dog license that takes longer to expire. If your dog has a rabies shot that is good for three years, you could choose to get a three-year license.
A Wichita Animal Services Advisory Board subcommittee came up with the ideas. Then, the board got input from the city’s animal control, licensing, and law departments.
On Tuesday morning, Jan Jarman, assistant city attorney, told the Wichita City Council that some of the proposals are really good, but some are not practical. In the end, she recommended 11 changes to the pet ordinances.
Recommended changes
1. Mandatory microchipping of cats and dogs
Jarman said getting all dogs and cats microchipped is a great idea.
“We think it would help get animals into their homes when animals are found running the streets,” she said. “If every animal was required to have a microchip, it would help us keep them out of the shelter, which is our goal.”
Councilmember Mike Hoheisel asked if the city could also make more places available where people who find an animal could scan the pet for microchips.
Lt. Derek Purcell, Wichita Animal Services, said scanners are already in animal service vans, some police substations, animal shelters, and veterinarian offices.
“There’s information on those microchips that’s private, so we have to be cognizant of that,” he said.
2. Eliminate mandatory outdoor kennel for dogs deemed dangerous
Currently, if a Wichita dog is deemed dangerous, the owner must have an outdoor kennel cemented into the ground. The proposal calls for eliminating that mandate.
“We know that there are dogs that need these kennels, but we also know there are some dogs deemed dangerous that don’t necessarily need the kennels,” Jarman said.
She said someone living in an apartment does not have a way to build an outdoor kennel.
“If you live in an apartment where we’ve deemed your dog dangerous, but we don’t think it’s that much of a problem with the community, we’ve just destined your dog for euthanasia,” Jarman said. “Either you move, or you’re going to lose your dog.”
She said the city would like a little more flexibility where animal services could determine if a kennel is necessary for the community’s safety.
3. Eliminate ‘certificate of mailing’ on dangerous dog notifications
If a dog is deemed dangerous, Wichita Animal Services notifies the owner in person or by a certified letter.
The city will continue that practice. But Jarman says the city would eliminate the “certificate of mailing” that appears at the bottom of the notice. She called it a legal term that is a technicality.
“Since Animal Service uses certified mailing, it’s not really necessary,” she said.
4. Dog bites: Increase fines but reduce jail sentence
“We want to raise the fines on dog bites because we have a real problem in this community,” Jarman said. “We think it would be a showing of force to people who have dogs that are biting other people that we mean business.”
If a dog bites a person or a domestic animal, the fines for the owner would jump from $250 to $500 for a first offense, $500 to $1,000 for a second offense, and $1,000 to $2,500 for any more offenses.
However, the city is considering reducing the possible jail time for the owner from 12 months to six months. Jarman said she cannot remember a case where a dog owner was given jail time.
“It would be very rare,” she said. “It would be a situation where we felt like it was intentional, not just you had a dog that bit, but you knew, or you sicced it on someone.”
Hoheisel said he would lean toward keeping the longer jail sentence in the ordinance.
“I’m OK at keeping it at 12 months just to give the judge some discretion in case there is a crazy case where someone is siccing a dog on people,” he said.
5. Allow dog licenses to last longer
Currently, Wichita dog owners must get a new dog license every year. The city proposes increasing the license duration to match the duration of a dog’s rabies shot.
“People can get their dogs’ rabies vaccines for three years. One vaccine will last three years, but our licensing doesn’t allow them to get a three-year license,” Jarman said. “We would change the ordinance to allow a person to get a one, two, or three-year license.”
It would depend on how much the dog owner wants to pay in advance.
If a dog owner opts for a more extended license but then loses or sells the dog before the license runs out, the city would not issue a refund.
6. Simply licensing paperwork for veterinarians
The city is also considering improvements to the dog licensing process. Jarman calls the current licenses antiquated.
“I think we can get away from those triplicate forms that we use that are real small and really thin paper,” she said.
She wants the city to simplify the process for veterinarians.
“At this point, we make it very difficult for vets to help us, and we require daily input,” Jarman said.
She said changing the ordinance would allow vets to turn in paperwork less often and in a different manner.
7. Remove fence inspection
The city requires dogs to be fenced, tethered or secured, but the city does not have anyone to inspect if homes have fences. For that reason, Jarman said the inspection of premises for fences should be removed from the ordinance.
Hoheisel asked if there would still be someone who inspects in the case of dangerous dogs, making sure the dogs are secured. Jarman said yes.
8. Change licensing fees
The subcommittee that came up with many of these proposals recommended changing the licensing price to $15 for a spayed or neutered dog and $50 for one that is not.
“The board really disagrees with this,” Jarman said. “They worry if we increase the price, that it will discourage people from getting licensed.”
Currently, all Wichita dog licenses are $46. But discounts for spaying/neutering, fences, and microchips can bring the cost down to $15.
Two of those discounts would go away with the microchipping proposal (Item 1) and the fencing proposal (Item 7.)
Jarman said the city is considering $20 for a spayed or neutered dog and $40 for one that is not. She said the Council could make the final decision.
9. Clarify language about which dogs are exempt from licenses
She said there is some confusion with the current ordinance about dogs that are exempt from dog licenses. The city would not change which dogs are exempt, but it would clarify the information in the ordinance.
“What that means is, if you are a service dog, not an emotional support dog, but if you’re a service dog or if you’re a retired service dog from the U.S. like armed forces, you don’t have to pay for a license,” Jarman said. “We’re not exempting all veterans from licensing. We’re trying to exempt special dogs from licensing.”
10. Increase how many dogs and cats are allowed
This proposal would increase the number of cats and dogs allowed per household or property to three dogs and three cats instead of the current two dogs and two cats. Jarman said that is more in line with what other communities allow.
The breed restriction on pit bulls would remain at two.
11. Animal maintenance permit required for four dogs or four cats
This proposal would require an animal maintenance permit for a pet owner who wants more than three dogs and three cats.
Other subcommittee proposals
Cat licenses?
Jarman said the subcommittee wanted the city to start requiring cats to be licensed.
“At this point, we don’t think there is current staffing available to license cats. That is a huge project,” she said. “We agree with the subcommittee that we have a lot of work to do to get dogs licensed. Not enough dogs are licensed in this city, so we would rather attack that issue, deal with that issue before we move into working on cats.”
Improve and incentivize dog licenses
Mike Marlett is a member of the Wichita Animal Control Advisory Board. He said Wichita has probably lost tens of millions of dollars in dog license fees over the past 20 years.
So, one thing the subcommittee and the Wichita Animal Control Advisory Board feel strongly about is the importance of getting more dogs licensed. Marlett said they looked at 10 other cities comparable in size to Wichita.
“Numbers were all over the place,” he said. “Most people had better utilization of their animal licensing. Ours, we’ve had very low and falling revenue from animal licensing. We’re at a 20-year low right now.”
The subcommittee and the board suggested improving online information about licensing, putting dog pictures on the licenses, and putting coupons on the back.
Jarman agreed about improving licenses and online information but says other improvements require money and people the city does not have. She called the coupon idea “really cool.”
“The problem is we just don’t have the staffing to do that, to go out and find people who are willing to donate or purchase these kind of plans,” she said.
But Marlett said the cities that are incentivizing dog licenses are seeing success.
“Places with the fancy licensing and big advertisement involvement from the community, those are the places that have the highest percentage of animal licensure,” he said. “The consumer, the person in the public, they wind up with a license that pays for itself with coupons from pet supply places and things like that, but the city sees much higher participation and gets much more money out of it.”
“It’s one of those things that seems like it would be expensive, but it’s a super, super strong driver, and we would really like to see it just for the participation,” Marlett said. “It would be an investment that would pay off almost immediately.”
Dedicated animal license employee?
The subcommittee wants the city to add a dedicated employee to administer the pet licensing program. Jarman said the city’s licensing department does not have sufficient funds for a new position. However, she said the licensing department is working with its vendor to improve some of its software, which should help with licensing issues.
Partner with the Kansas Humane Society on rabies shots and licensing
Another suggestion is for Wichita to partner with the Kansas Humane Society to give rabies vaccinations and license animals before pets leave the shelter.
“This is a great idea, and WPD (Wichita Police Department) is currently working with KHS to get that done,” Jarman said.
The case for letting your dog sniff on their daily walk
Send reminders and call people about renewing dog licenses
The subcommittee wants increased license enforcement through mailed reminders and phone calls. However, Jarman said the city already mails reminders and does not have the staffing to make phone calls.
She did say the city is considering adding email reminders.
The Wichita City Council did not take any action on Tuesday. The topic of animal ordinances came up during a council workshop. Because it involves changing city ordinances, it will have to be brought up at a future council meeting.
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