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Altoona resident urges city to tighten kennel and dog-license rules; council says it will review
Summary
Resident Steve Alfeldt told the Altoona City Council on Oct. 14 that the city's kennel definition and dog-license data make it hard to identify potential commercial breeders. Council members and staff said they would look into the issue; no formal action was taken.
At the Altoona City Council meeting on Oct. 14, resident Steve Alfeldt urged the council to change the city's dog-licensing rules so the city can better identify breeders and potential unpermitted kennels.
Alfeldt, who gave his address as 116 Spruce Avenue, said “there are perhaps 1,000 dogs in the city limits that are primarily housed in buildings outside of the primary residence,” and argued the city’s current license form collects only the name of the dog owner and not the breeder or seller. He read the city’s kennel definition from the code and said, “the code does not specify that these purposes under the definition of kennel are commercial or noncommercial.”
Alfeldt told the council that collecting the breeder or seller’s name on the city dog license would cost the city nothing and would help identify whether animals kept in outbuildings are family pets or are being kept for breeding, hunting, show, sale or similar uses that the code currently classifies as kennels. “It would be nothing on the city budget if you collected the data on the person who's actually paying for the license,” he said.
During a later media question period, a reporter asked council for comment on Alfeldt’s request. A city staff member replied, “that’s something we'll have to look into, Bill.” An unnamed council member praised Alfeldt’s approach, saying he “came prepared with the ordinance” and that it was a legitimate item to examine.
Council members did not introduce or vote on any ordinance or code change at the meeting. The discussion ended with the council indicating staff would review the licensing and kennel-definition issues and report back; no timeline or formal direction was recorded on the public record.
Why it matters: Changes to how the city records dog-license information could affect how zoning and code enforcement staff identify and investigate potential unpermitted kennel operations and could alter how residents report nuisance or safety concerns stemming from animals kept in outbuildings.
What remains unclear: Alfeldt’s estimate of “perhaps 1,000 dogs” in outbuildings was presented as his observation and was not verified during the meeting. The city did not provide a timeline, cost estimate, or specific plan for the staff review during the Oct. 14 meeting.
