Frisco Residents Team with City Staff to Restructure Pet Ordinance

Since the release of the Frisco Petland investigation by the Humane Society of United States this summer, the City of Frisco staff has been meeting with Frisco residents, concerned citizens, animal advocates, and City Council to update the City of Frisco’s Chapter 14 Animals Ordinance Sections 14-10 and 14-12. City staff presented an initial draft of the updated ordinance to the council at a December 3rd work session with plans for an revised version with further recommendations at the next work session and council meeting January 7th. The public is welcome to attend both.

Frisco’s Pet Project volunteers alone submitted a three page list of suggestions to be examined and perhaps incorporated into a stronger city ordinance. After extensive review, many of us are still in strong agreement this updated ordinance would be a huge burden on time and resources of Frisco Animal Services. We believe a ban of retail sales of companion pets for profit in pet stores would be more cost-effective, efficient, and humane, while demonstrating forward-thinking leadership statewide, if not nationwide.

The updates are a move in the right direction but only address two sections of the City’s Animal Ordinance. What about tethering, declawing, outside pets in extreme weather conditions, and other animal abuse concerns? Shouldn’t these sections/regulations get equal attention to change and improvement as retail sales and dangerous animals? Frisco’s Pet Project was created to bring about awareness for change for Frisco pets and its residents. We have been advocating for a Frisco volunteer animal advisory board or committee since our inception. Perhaps now is the the time to make Frisco pets a top 10 priority in Frisco for 2020? With a committee, we could research, study, improve, and update the entire Frisco Animals Chapter 14. We could then start plans for a 72-hour temporary holding facility for Frisco Animal Services, a pet education program for FISD, a pet sanctuary for our Seniors—the ideas that Frisco’s Pet Project’s volunteers want to work on are endless.

To learn more about our short and long-term goals click on the What? tab above. If you would like to see Frisco pets as one of the city’s top 10 priorities in the coming year please add your name to our Say Yes to Pets list of supporters.