INDIANAPOLIS — The Indianapolis City-County Council will introduce a proposal Monday night aimed at putting restrictions on backyard pet breeders.
"We can do something for these animals, and there's been a lot of conversation how to solve this issue," Councilor Nick Roberts (D-4) said.
According to Roberts, animal shelters are crowded and have been for a while. The bill would educate people and keep track of animals.
"There really isn't a work in making sure people that are breeding animals know the resources that are out there," Roberts said. "There are a lot of low-cost spay and neuter clinics in the city that do a lot of great works."
Under the proposal, the owner of any “unaltered” dog older than 6 months will need to register on the Marion County Unaltered Animal Registry, with the owner agreeing to certain terms.
Each dog would need a vet exam once a year, and the vet would need to declare the female dog as healthy before she can breed.
The bill also says no female dog could have more than one litter every 18 months and no more than six litters in her lifetime.
The owner would need to update the births of each dog, as well as the contact information for the buyer. Those puppies would also need to be microchipped.
If the rules aren't followed, dog owners could face fines.
"The third time is when things start causing a problem because at that point, you know you're probably willingly doing it just to make a quick buck," Roberts said.
The city-county council meeting starts at 7 p.m. Monday, July 8.