City of Abilene considers spay/neuter mandate, ‘Aggressive Dog' category
ABILENE, Texas () – The Abilene City Council is considering several updates to the city's animal ordinance, including a spay/neuter requirement for all dogs and cats and the addition of an 'Aggressive Dog' category to better regulate attacks on domestic animals.
Abilene woman seeks to change city animal ordinance following alleged dog attack
On Thursday, February 13, the council will discuss potential changes to Chapter 6, 'Animals and Fowls,' of the Abilene Code of Ordinances. Proposed updates include:
Renaming the Abilene Animal Control Department to Abilene Animal Outreach.
Banning the sale of animals in public places and requiring landowner permission for sales on private property, including parking lots.
Mandating spay/neuter for all dogs and cats over six months old unless the owner holds a Commercial Breeder's Permit issued by the city.
Creating a Commercial Breeder's Permit to regulate dog and cat breeding within city limits.
Introducing an 'Aggressive Dog' category for dogs that make unprovoked attacks on domestic animals, resulting in injury or death.
Requiring proof of sterilization within 30 days for pet owners reclaiming their animal from the Pet Adoption and Resource Center (PARC).
According to the city's agenda packet, the proposed Aggressive Dog category would be separate from the existing state Dangerous Dog classification. While a Dangerous Dog is one that makes an unprovoked attack on a person, an Aggressive Dog would be one that attacks another domestic animal. Officials say this distinction would help clearly regulate dog-on-animal attacks and align procedures for enforcement.
Vicious dogs attack Abilene family pet, forcing tragic decision to put down Jack Russell
The council is also considering a spay/neuter requirement for all domestic dogs and cats over six months old unless the owner has a Commercial Breeder's Permit. Additionally, pet owners reclaiming animals from PARC could be required to provide proof of sterilization within 30 days. If passed by the council, failure to comply could result in a Class C misdemeanor, and if the pet is impounded twice, the city could sterilize the animal at the owner's expense before allowing it to be reclaimed.
The city council will review these proposed amendments and more during Thursday's meeting.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
04-06-2025
- Yahoo
Appeal after boy, 10, attacked by two dogs
Police are appealing for the owner of two dogs that attacked a 10-year-old boy to come forward. The boy was walking with his mother in Abbot's Wood, near Polegate, on 26 May when he was bitten on his legs, Sussex Police said. The dogs' owner is said to have fled the area after the attack, which happened shortly after 14:30 BST. Insp Anthony Oakensen said the boy was recovering at home after hospital treatment and that officers encouraged the woman involved to come forward. The owner of the dogs is described as having blonde hair tied in a ponytail and wearing a light coloured top and black leggings, police said. The dogs are possibly small terriers, Jack Russell's or Patterdales and one is thought to be named Molly, the force added. Insp Oakensen said: "This was a distressing incident for the child and his mum. "We are exploring a number of lines of inquiry." Anyone who witnessed the incident is urged to contact the force. Follow BBC Sussex on Facebook, on X, and on Instagram. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@ or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250. Sussex Police
Yahoo
03-06-2025
- Yahoo
2nd shooting at Abilene hookah lounge leaves residents, nearby businesses concerned
ABILENE, Texas () – A hookah lounge located on the 700 block of North 6th Street experienced a second shooting incident in less than a year. Victim shot at Abilene hookah lounge The 6th Street Center is a historic property built in the early 1900s and is recognized as the first African American hotel in Abilene. Located in the 700 block of North 6th Street, this property is now home to several businesses, with the second floor previously serving as an event center. Most recently, the second floor has been rented out to serve as a hookah lounge and local hangout. On Saturday, May 31, at around 2:00 a.m., an incident occurred at that hookah lounge when one patron shot another. This type of incident isn't new for this location, as back in October of 2024, when a man who was in a crowd allegedly tried to push his way inside the establishment, and a security guard who was hired by the hookah lounge was accused of fatally shooting the individual. Concerns over this gathering spot have been voiced as recently as the May 8 Abilene City Council meeting, where notable Abilene figure Reverend Andrew Penns addressed the council about issues he and those who live in the area are experiencing. 'I come with a concern about a club that has opened in the Carver neighborhood. Anytime from about 2 to 3:00 in the morning, I'm being woken up by music from that club. Not only myself, but others in the neighborhood have voiced concern,' Penns said to the council. Security guard arrested on murder charge in connection to death of Abilene man Businesses in the area are also expressing concerns following the incident at the historic building. President Shawnte Fleming-Lewis of the non-profit Let Us Breath-Abilene, which is located right next to where the shooting occurred, spoke about what she and other business owners are now facing. 'It was always a privilege for me to be here. The residents are all complaining about here, and eventually, this is going to turn into something bigger that is going to be out of control,' Fleming-Lewis shared. 'We're just looking to try to contain, try to figure out what the best plan is. We just have to do a better job about protecting Abilene.' The property owner for the 6th Street Center, who wishes to remain unidentified, spoke about how he traditionally rents the space for events and was leasing the property to a 3rd party when the incident occurred. They say that after this incident, they are looking to cooperate fully with city authorities for the next step in securing safety on this property. 'I'm going to take the recommendations from the police department and the city. We're going to comply fully with whatever the city says. The violence… It's got to stop.' As of now, neither the individual who was shot nor the shooter has been identified. The injured party was transported to the hospital, where he was treated for non-life-threatening injuries, and the suspect in this incident has not yet been arrested. An investigation is currently underway, and police are asking anyone with information on the incident or the possible shooter to come forward and contact Abilene Crime Stoppers at (325) 676-8477. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Yahoo
Aussie's five-year legal battle with council over pet dogs: 'Spent over $100k'
A dog owner accused of letting his two Jack Russells bark all day and night has vowed to fight his local council, despite claiming he's already shelled out over $100,000 on the gruelling five-year legal saga. Glenn Tong first got wind that his neighbours in an apartment block in Melbourne's eastern suburbs were reportedly unhappy with his pets Marco and Mia in 2017. The long-time Hawthorn resident told Yahoo News he started receiving letters from Boroondara Council alleging the dogs were creating a nuisance and waking others up at 2am. 'There were three or four of these letters, and every single time I wrote back 'Well, it's not my dogs',' he said. 'They sleep with us under the doona in bed so if the dogs bark, my wife and I would wake up straight away, and we don't like waking up at 2am. They didn't listen.' In October, 2020 Tong copped two charges from the council — one for each Marco and Mia — alleging he was allowing them to bark excessively, particularly early in the morning and late in the evening. 'This is a lot rubbish. It's complete nonsense,' the biotech expert reportedly told Brett Melke, who specialises in canine law, when he called for help. 🏍️ Woman's surprise passenger on Aussie road prompts $376 fine 🚐 Aussie council makes major caravan rule change to tackle housing crisis 🪴 Locals fume as 22-year-old roundabout garden destroyed by council After four years, Tong finally appeared in the Melbourne Magistrates' Court in February, 2024 with Melke and his criminal barrister Tass Antos, but it didn't go as they had hoped. 'The magistrate was adamant that she would not give us the time that we asked for to present our evidence,' Tong claimed. 'My legal team and I basically said, well if we can't present all of our evidence here, we're going to lose anyway, so we made the decision to not provide any.' As a result, he was found guilty and copped a $2,310 fine. Tong was also ordered to walk his dogs on a daily basis, and hire a professional trainer. Less than an hour later, Tong — who claims to have spent over $100,000 on the lengthy legal battle — and his team filed an appeal. A hearing in the Country Court of Victoria has been set for November, which he expects will cost another $55,000 to $60,000. However, not appealing the ruling could leave him without a home, Tong said. 'My dogs are certainly not barking at those times and in those situations and I'm not going to plead guilty to it,' he told Yahoo. More importantly, a guilty verdict could prompt the complainants to obtain a removal order from the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT), forcing he, his wife, and their pets, from their home of 21 years. 'That would be disastrous,' he said. A spokesperson for the City of Boroondara told Yahoo the council 'understands excessive barking can be a nuisance and will investigate complaints from Boroondara residents and take action as necessary'. 'As this matter is before the courts, we are unable to comment further,' they said. Tong has created a GoFundMe to help fund the upcoming court case. Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@ You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.
