DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — An ordinance that took effect Thursday requires pet owners in DeKalb County to register a litter with the county.
The ordinance is part of a broader effort to reduce pet overpopulation in metro Atlanta, which has caused chronic overcrowding at the DeKalb County animal shelter.
Owners can register their litters for free in the county’s online portal, which can also connect them to resources like free vaccines and microchips.
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The DeKalb County shelter was built to comfortably accommodate about 220 animals, but it regularly more than doubles that number.
“Part of the cause of the pet overpopulation is inadvertent and intentional breeding, also known as backyard breeding,” Andrea Seidl of Advocates of DeKalb Animals, told Channel 2’s Bryan Mims.
Seidl’s organization pushed for an ordinance to require pet owners to register new litters of puppies, kittens and rabbits with the county.
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The rule applies to those who have no license to breed animals.
Seidl said the aim is to prevent what’s called “backyard breeding.”
“These are people that are not in the business as breeders,” Seidl said. “They have no licenses for this or anything like that. They’re just putting a couple of dogs together and then selling puppies as a way to make a quick buck.”
She says many of those puppies and kittens end up in the county shelter.
“It’s one way to hopefully reduce or get that sort of breeding under control,” Seidl told Channel 2 Action News.
Other than licensed animal breeders, pet owners in DeKalb County are allowed only one litter per animal in a year. Seidl said the ordinance will get the county a better picture of where and when new animals are being born – and spot potential backyard breeding.
“It will certainly give the county an indication of where this is proliferating and where it could be a problem,” Seidl said.
Pet owners have 21 days to register their litter with the county or face a possible fine.
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