Council puts a leash on animal control

If you have a pet peacock, chicken, goat, or any other non-domestic, you are most likely breaking the law after the City Council revised part of its code on keeping animals in Montgomery.

The council passed the amended ordinance on Monday, after discussing the changes at its work session earlier in the month. It defines which types of animals are legal to keep and which are not. Domestic animals include dogs, cats, caged birds, gerbils … etc. Non-domestic includes naturally wild and farm animals and relatives of the rodent family, like squirrels, monkeys, and potbellied pigs.

The ordinance also spells out how many pets a household can have. Under the ordinance, no person can keep or house more than four domestic animals over the age of four months. This includes no more than three dogs. However, if you owned more than the ordinance stated, you’re grandfathered in provided the animals were licensed.

It also states that animals cannot run at large, bite people, or habitually bark (dogs) and sets limits and specifies sizes of kennels.

If you state the case your illegal animal is an “emotional support animal”, you are out of luck. The ordinance states a “service animal” is defined as a dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tests for an individual with a disability. 

See more in the print edition.