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Council hears animal control update; staff proposes microchipping, breeder limits and new impound procedures
Summary
After a year of rising 'dogs at large' calls and several severe attacks, inspectors recommended ordinance changes that would require microchipping for animals released from the regional shelter, shift impound payments to the shelter, give time limits for owners who exceed allowed animals, and create new tools to address backyard breeding.
Police and Animal Services staff asked the council to consider targeted ordinance changes after a year of increased dog‑at‑large calls, a spike in dangerous‑dog incidents and capacity pressure at the region’s shelter (PUPS).
Inspector Tony Weinbeck reviewed the operational picture: Brooklyn Park accounts for by far the largest share of animals brought to the regional joint‑powers shelter shared with neighboring cities, and impound volumes have strained the facility’s bed capacity. City staff and the PUPS board are evaluating facility expansion options; one informal estimate presented at the briefing suggested a Brooklyn Park share of potential expansion costs could total on the order of $1.0–1.2 million, though that number requires formal board approval and engineering estimates.
Inspector Weinbeck and Police cadet supervisors described stepped‑up enforcement in 2024 and into 2025. The city has increased citations for animals at large and for public‑protection violations. Weinbeck said PUPS now microchips animals that do not already have chips before release so owners can be identified more quickly in future cases.
Staff recommended a set of ordinance amendments, summarized as follows: - Change impound and redemption procedures so owners pay impound fees to the regional shelter (PUPS) rather than to the city, and let PUPS manage redemption windows and fees. - Require microchipping for any animal processed and released through PUPS if the animal lacks an existing microchip. - Add targeted language to address small‑scale “backyard” breeding by limiting the number of animals on a property (staff proposed a cap and an allowance that an owner with excess animals must reduce those numbers within a set period, designed to balance humane treatment of young litters with curbing unregulated breeding). - Remove outdated ordinance language that duplicates the regional shelter’s current operating procedures.
Inspector Weinbeck said the changes aim to reduce the shelter load by preventing repeat impounds (through microchips and better owner accountability), and to provide enforcement tools for owners who repeatedly allow animals at large or operate informal breeding operations that have contributed to aggressive‑dog incidents.
Council members asked for clarification on several items: how long animals are held before PUPS seeks rescue placement or other disposition (staff said PUPS attempts to find rescues and aims to minimize euthanasia; ownership redemption periods are governed by the shelter’s procedure), typical costs for microchipping (PUPS estimated roughly $50 per chip if an owner pays at redemption), options for low‑income owners (PUPS and partner nonprofits run periodic low‑cost microchipping events and can work on release fees and prescriptions to keep animals with owners where appropriate), and the legal threshold for labeling an animal dangerous or potentially dangerous (state statute and city code definitions apply; dangerous animals often receive annual registration and conditions such as spay/neuter and insurance requirements).
No ordinance was adopted at the meeting. Staff said they will return with formal drafted ordinance language and the required two readings if the council wants to proceed. Several council members expressed support for the staff‑recommended changes to microchipping and impound procedures and for clearer steps to address backyard breeding.
