LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – A forthcoming proposal would stiffen penalties for illegal backyard breeders, make it harder for them to get a license and limit the amount of animals legally bred across Clark County.
The proposal comes from Commissioner Michael Naft, who will instruct staff Tuesday to craft an ordinance. It’s an effort to tackle the surge of abandoned and unwanted animals at local shelters across the Las Vegas Valley.
“Now we’re looking at the backyard breeders that, without any regulation, and without very good health considerations for the welfare of the animals, are breeding thousands of pets on an annual basis unregulated and throughout the community,” Naft said. The commissioner helped propose and pass a ban on animals from breeders at local pet stores.
“A lot of these animals wind up in the overcrowded shelters. The municipal shelter is already overcrowded and having a struggling time taking care of the animals that they do have to take care of,” Naft said.
The proposed changes could include stiffer penalties for illegal breeding, limits on the amount of licenses for breeders, and limits on the number of animals that can be bred annually.
According to county officials, there are 228 licenses for breeders or show permits.
Since 2023 through July 2024, Animal Control officers have given 133 citations for illegally breeding animals.
Naft said, after an illegal breeder is cited, they are given a guide on how to pursue a path for a license to operate legally, and that, he said, is a problem.
“You’re rewarding the bad behavior and you’re bringing people into a system who have done something that is not only against county code and law and ordinance, but is detrimental to the animals and to the consumers,” he said.
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