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Animal lovers face fight over how many cats and dogs they can own
Animal lovers and lawmakers face a dog and cat fight over how many pets residents may own at the same time in the small Utah town of Provo, officials said on Wednesday.
Animal lovers and lawmakers face a dog and cat fight over how many pets residents may own at the same time in the small Utah town of Provo, officials said on Wednesday.
The current law allows residents to own up to two dogs or two cats at the same time but not a dog and cat together.
Provo resident Susan Sewell said her children had picked out a kitten from a local animal shelter, but burst into tears when they were turned down because the family already owned too many pets.
"My daughter fell in love with this little white kitten and was holding it in her hands," Sewell said. "I just wanted to adopt a cat and they said I couldn't because I already had a cat and a dog."
Provo City Council Chairman Dave Knecht, who owns a golden retriever and used to have a cat, said "two of each species is reasonable." He believes the law was enacted to help animal control officers.
"Having two of each is not necessarily a problem," said Knecht, who has proposed allowing people to own two cats and two dogs.
He knows many people who already have two dogs and two cats and the law is not always enforced as it should be.
"I want to find out what the public wants," Knecht said, "and have reasonable rules reflect reality."
According to Knecht, the Provo City Council will address the pet issue on Dec. 7 and vote on whether to change the law.
Sewell says her children are anxiously awaiting the outcome. "The children keep asking if the law has been changed yet." she said.
