Fresno’s crackdown on illegal pet breeders could slap fines up to $1,000 per animal

The City of Fresno is looking to crack down on illegal backyard breeding of dogs and cats to ease overcrowding at local animal shelters.

A new ordinance will be introduced at Thursday’s city council meeting.

In a news conference on Wednesday, the CEO of Fresno Furry Friends Mona Ahmed said with a teary voice that when she visits the shelter, it’s heart breaking to see how many animals get put down because the shelter is so full.

She said, “They look at me, they always think like oh, she’s here to save me and when I go next day… I find out they have been put down because nobody came for them because non-stop animals are coming in.”

Some shelters in Fresno are at the point they can’t take in more animals.

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Fresno City Councilmembers Annalisa Perea and Garry Bredefeld are looking to crack down on people illegally breeding dogs and cats with a new ordinance aimed at punishing illegal breeders.

If people want to breed, they will need to get a breeder’s permit.

If they don’t have one. They can be subject to a hefty fine.

“This amended ordinance will address that problem and hold accountable those who engage in this illegal activity, specifically those who do not have a breeder permit from the City of Fresno but are selling dogs or cats in public places,” Bredefeld said.

Some of those places include streets, sidewalks, and shopping malls, flea markets or in areas in front of commercial establishments.

If caught, Bredefeld says they will be fined $1,000 for every pet on them. But, they could avoid the fine if they get the permit within 30 days.

If they continue illegally breeding, they could even face a misdemeanor charge.

The cost of the breeding license is $2,000.

Requirements:

• Will need to be renewed every year
• Owners are only allowed to breed once per year, per household.
• If you sell or transfer a pet, you will be required to show your breeder’s license
• If you post any type of advertisement, a license number needs to be provided on the listing

We believe this is the necessarily action to take control of our overpopulation of animals within our city limits and finally alleviate the burden we are seeing.

The ordinance also includes adding two positions at Fresno Animal Center to help with enforcement of the ordinance.

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If it is approved, it could be in place by the end of September.

The City of Fresno says it adopted the idea from other cities throughout California who are seeing positive results with the ordinance placed.