With the McHenry City Council set to consider a new animal control ordinance on July 29, Winding Creek resident Joyce Crosbie told the council Wednesday night that the ordinance should be directed more toward irresponsible pet owners than toward limiting the number of pets in a household.
Crosbie, who has five pets, said irresponsible pet owners are the cause of local animal control problems.
Pat Klimo, who runs a no-kill pet shelter in Ringwood, said much of the pet problem in many communities stems from overbreeding.
“The breeder who doesn’t care” contributes to the problem, Klimo said. “They go on breeding and the animals go on dying. Animal control killed 825 animals last year.”
Klimo encouraged pet owners to have their animals neutered or spayed to cut down on overpopulation. He said the problem is not with how many pets people have but how many of the owners breed excess offspring.
