Resident urges Altoona to tighten kennel, dog-license rules

A resident told the Altoona City Council on Oct. 14 that city dog-license rules should be changed to make it easier to identify commercial kennels.

"I'm Steve Alfeldt. I live at 116 Spruce Avenue," the resident said, adding there are "perhaps 1,000 dogs in the city limits that are primarily housed in buildings outside of the primary residence." He pointed to Altoona City Code '184-4, the city's kennel definition, and said the ordinance does not distinguish commercial breeders from family pets.

Alfeldt urged the council to require that dog-license applications include the name of the breeder or the person paying for a license for an animal that is to be sold. "It would be nothing on the city budget if you collected the data on the person who's actually paying for the license, the person who actually owned the mother of the dog that's being sold," he said, arguing that capturing that data would make it easier to identify unlicensed kennels over time.

Council members and staff signaled they would examine the idea. When a member of the media asked later whether the council had any immediate comment, a city official replied, "I think that's something we'll have to look into," and praised Alfeldt for bringing a prepared ordinance rather than only a complaint.

The speaker advocating the change said enforcement would not be immediate but that the data could help address illegal kennels "5 years, 10 years down the road." The council did not take action on the suggestion at the meeting; the exchange occurred during public comment and no motion was introduced.