A Laredo committee on animal welfare heard a presentation from the Laredo Police Department on animal‑cruelty training and reporting protocols and voted to ask the city manager to refresh a 2020 Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to revive a multi‑agency animal‑cruelty task force. The committee also voted to send redlined ordinance language, including revised definitions for shelter and tethering, to legal review and to advance an ordinance that would prohibit pet shops from selling dogs, cats and rabbits.

The committee heard from an Assistant Chief (Laredo Police Department), who described the department’s workload and how animal calls are handled. The assistant chief said the department “average[s] close to 2,000 a year” in animal‑related calls and reported the department currently has about 508 filled positions. He said roughly a quarter of animal calls are complaints of cruelty but that complaints often do not meet the criminal‑law threshold for arrest and prosecutors at the District Attorney’s Office typically instruct police whether to pursue criminal charges.

Why it matters: committee members and animal‑welfare stakeholders said gaps in interagency coordination and inconsistent training can let less‑serious but harmful cases fall through the cracks. Reviving the task force and updating ordinances were presented as steps to clarify roles, improve training, and make enforcement more consistent.

What the police said: the assistant chief told the committee the city’s Animal Cruelty Task Force was created in March 2020 under an MOU signed by multiple agencies and nonprofits. He said the group has not met regularly in recent years, that the investigator once assigned to the task force has been reassigned, and that although agencies still consult informally on complex cases, the formal quarterly meetings and coordinated recommendations have lapsed. He recommended drafting a new MOU or refreshing the existing one and restarting quarterly meetings so participating agencies can revisit training, reporting and gaps in law or procedure.

Animal Care Services response: Bluestone, a representative of Laredo Animal Care Services, told the committee that Animal Care Services and the police department have worked to rebuild partnership efforts over the past 18 months and supported the idea of revisiting the MOU and improving joint training. Bluestone said field decision‑making varies by officer and shift and acknowledged both agencies have limitations that a revived task force could help address.

Ordinance changes and enforcement: committee members discussed proposed ordinance updates that would add or clarify definitions for “shelter” (distinct rules for small animals and livestock), revise the tether/leash provisions (the draft references a tether limit of 15, per the discussion), and add “shade” definitions to aid enforcement. The committee voted to have staff prepare a redlined draft of those definitions for legal review before returning to the committee.

Pet‑store sales and roadside sales: members advanced a proposal to add a new ordinance in chapter 6 to prohibit pet shops and retail stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits, while excluding adoption events hosted by rescue groups or retailers. The committee additionally discussed stricter enforcement of roadside pet sales and the public’s confusion about whether to call police or 311; the committee voted to table the enforcement‑specific item for further work and to return it at a later meeting with condensed materials for review.

Votes at a glance

- Motion to approve minutes from Wednesday, July 9 — passed (mover/second not specified).

- Motion instructing the city manager’s office to refresh the 2020 animal‑cruelty MOU and initiate quarterly task‑force meetings — passed (mover/second not specified).

- Motion to prepare redlined ordinance language revising definitions for shelter, shade and tether/leash and to forward that redline to legal for review — passed (mover/second not specified).

- Motion to advance an ordinance to prohibit pet shops and retail stores from selling dogs, cats and rabbits (excluding adoption events) and to align item 5C with item 5B — passed (mover/second not specified).

- Motion to table discussion on stricter enforcement of roadside sales of pets and return with condensed materials — passed (mover/second not specified).

Process and next steps: committee members asked staff to prepare a redlined ordinance and to provide a refreshed or new MOU for review. Staff said the city secretary holds a copy of the 2020 MOU and that a draft can also be found online. Committee members asked that future meetings include a clear summary of case dispositions and task‑force staffing so stakeholders can identify gaps, deficits in law or training, and possible code changes.

Attributions: quotations and technical descriptions in this report are drawn from remarks by the Assistant Chief (Laredo Police Department) and Bluestone (Laredo Animal Care Services representative) during the committee meeting; other motions and votes were recorded in the meeting minutes and on the committee record.