ODESSA, Texas — The City of Odessa is now limiting its residents to four pets along with requiring mandatory spaying and neutering.
The ordinance is placing several requirements on pet owners in Odessa that they will have to meet. While it's still uncertain what current pet owners who already have more than four pets will be asked to do, those other rules are in the fine print.
“The ordinance does effect those people who care – they want to comply [and] they want to follow the law," said Karen Patterson, executive director of Fix West Texas.
For pet owners in Odessa, following the law means following the ordinance.
“The law, as it is now, is that all the animals should be spayed, neutered, vaccinated and microchipped, and a lot of people lack the funds to do that," Patterson said.
Odessa will not be helping it’s citizens financially, and funds aren’t the only issue, says Patterson.
“Honestly, there’s no way for everybody to comply with it," Patterson said. "There [are] not enough resources here in our community. Even if everybody signed up their pet right now with Fix West Texas, we’d be booked out [for] a year or two. So, until resources are available here in the community, it’s a really hard thing for them to do.”
Patterson believes Odessa is barking up the wrong tree.
“At the end of the day -- what’s going to work and what has worked in other communities -- is animal shelters and animal controls to being more of a resource center, like Fix West Texas is, where we say ‘here, let me help you with the tools to get it done,’ instead of fining you, bullying you and what not, because that’s really not working," Patterson said.
As this fresh reality sinks in, there is some doubt.
“Research shows that the number one way to mitigate some of the stray issues that we’re seeing in our community is by having accessible low-cost spay and neuter, not ordinances," Patterson said.
Patterson mentioned that she would like to see Odessa budget vouchers for residents similar to what is done in Midland to help pet owners afford spay and neuter.
Fix West Texas holds pay-what-you-can-afford micro-chippings daily at its facility, and with that a requirement of this ordinance too, they will also hold that type of event on Sunday, Jan. 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Odessa PetSmart.