Addressing Misinformation and Criticism: KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division and the Mandatory Spay/Neuter Ordinance for Pit Bull Type Dogs

spay neuter kc pet project

Over the years, there has been a significant amount of misinformation shared online regarding Kansas City’s mandatory spay/neuter ordinance for pit bull type dogs. At KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division, providing clear and accurate information to our community is vital.   Today, we aim to address these misconceptions, share data that highlights our enforcement efforts, and explain the comprehensive approach we take to ensure compliance and promote responsible pet ownership.

First, we encourage everyone to read these position statements on breed-specific legislation, mandatory spay/neuter policies, and a study that was done on the effects of Covid-19 and spay/neuter:

  1. ASPCA Position Statement
  2. National Animal Care and Control Association Position Statement
  3. American Veterinary Medical Association
  4. Study on impact that Covid-19 had on spay/neuters

This is a complex issue, and while some may believe mandatory spay/neuter laws will compel more pet owners to sterilize their pets and thus, fewer pets will be born, and fewer unwanted pets will end up in shelters – this has been proven in communities across the country to be untrue. In fact, every data-based study of mandatory spay/neuter laws has demonstrated that such laws do NOT increase spay/neuter compliance rates, nor do they reduce shelter intake, nor are they cost effective for local governments. Based on this research and more, every major animal organization in the United States opposes any type of mandatory spay/neuter legislation including the ASPCA, the Humane Society of the United States, Best Friends Animal Society, the No Kill Advocacy Center, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and the American Kennel Club.      

These laws unfairly discriminate against low-income families and have been proven in cities across the country to be ineffective at improving community safety or lowering the population of unwanted pets. Families who simply cannot afford, or cannot access, veterinary services for their pets are forced to surrender their pets (or their pets could be seized by Animal Control). In Kansas City, not only does that result in thousands more dogs being needlessly surrendered to our already over-crowded city shelter, but these pets are quickly replaced by additional unaltered animals. These laws have been shown to be extremely difficult to enforce, are expensive, and divert critical public safety resources from Animal Services divisions and law enforcement. Furthermore, mandatory spay/neuter laws for all pets have been in effect in other communities such as Los Angeles and closer to home in Kansas City, KS, and have not decreased the pet populations as a result in those communities.

Residents who cannot afford to pay hundreds of dollars to have their pets spayed/neutered (or have no access to those services) are the primary targets for enforcement – which includes tens of thousands of low-income families already struggling to pay their bills and feed their families in Kansas City. We should be empowering families and helping residents access the resources they need, not threatening and punishing families who care about their pets but have limited financial resources.

The only proven, effective program for addressing the population of pets are affordable spay/neuter and pet support services for owned pets, along with Trap/Neuter/Return programs for community cats.  Efforts are underway in Kansas City to increase affordable, accessible veterinary resources and outreach in our most under-resourced neighborhoods where spay/neuter services for pets are scarce or not available.  We are working diligently to expand our ability to provide services to more KCMO families and partner with organizations who can perform these surgeries.  More affordable, accessible veterinary resources also have public health benefits, as it would allow more residents to obtain rabies vaccines for their pets – which can be a huge financial barrier for low-income families.

History of Municipal Court Records and Citation Data:

KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division (ASD) is enforcing Kansas City’s mandatory spay/neuter ordinance (Sec. 14-60[b]) for pit bull type dogs – but enforcement can mean so much more than writing citations. To address recent misinformation and criticism, we requested and analyzed Municipal Court records to provide a clear picture of our enforcement efforts

From January 1, 2015, to January 1, 2020:

  • Citations filed for violations of Sec. 14-60(b) by Animal Control Officers for the City of Kansas City, MO (prior to KC Pet Project assuming the contract): 2,219
    • 794 were dismissed by the prosecutor
    • 614 resulted in acquittal
    • 636 resulted in warrant status for Failure to Appear in court

After accounting for these outcomes, an average of 175 citations resulted in convictions each year. At no point did these citations decrease the number of pets coming to the shelter. In fact, intakes of pets grew year-over-year during this period – with the exception of 2020 during the pandemic when intake numbers were reduced due to the emergency shutdown.

From 2023 to today, KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division filed 114 citations for violations of the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance. Our officers are ensuring that those citations that are submitted to municipal court for violations are for offenses when the owner did not comply with the directives by our officers, who give owners opportunities to come into compliance (more on that later in the blog). Many of our citations that have been filed are still running through the court system and can take months, if not years, to come to a conclusion.

So what does “enforcement” look like?

Contrary to misconceptions, KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division is actively enforcing the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance, which means more than writing citations. Our efforts include:

  • Education: Informing pet owners about the benefits and requirements of spay/neuter and what resources are available to them. Our team provides resources and information to help pet owners understand why spaying/neutering is essential for their pets’ health and the community’s well-being. By educating the public, we aim to foster a culture of responsible pet ownership and compliance with local ordinances. We also work to connect them with Pet Resource Center and Pets.FindHelp.Com for further options.
  • Shelter Policy for Lost Pets: We often get asked if pit bull type dogs that are brought to our shelter as lost pets have to be spayed/neutered prior to going back home. KC Pet Project offers free spay/neuter services to owned pets that are being reclaimed. So far in 2024 from January-June, we have spayed/neutered 140 owned dogs that were being reclaimed by their owners, 75 of them were pit bull type dogs. Since taking on the contract for animal services from December 2020 to December 2023, nearly 1,000 dogs have been spayed/neutered by KCPP before going back home to their families when reunited. As pets are considered property, we cannot force anyone to choose to spay/neuter their pet, and when they decline services, they receive a citation from our animal services team. Most owners agree to the free surgery in lieu of receiving citations. This number of spay/neuter surgeries does not include the animals in our shelter population who are up for adoption.
  • Notice to Correct and Verbal Warnings: Since most residents are unaware that the ordinance exists for pit bulls, we offer pet owners opportunities to come into compliance without immediate penalties. This step allows them to address the issue voluntarily, fostering cooperation rather than confrontation. Notices and warnings give pet owners a chance to correct the situation and avoid fines or other punitive measures. When people comply, they generally do not receive citations. Our compliance-based approach is one of the many reasons the number of citations issued is low.
  • Community Presence: Engaging with communities to build trust and cooperation. Our officers and staff are active in neighborhoods, participating in events and outreach programs to educate and support pet owners. By being visible and approachable, we aim to create positive relationships with community members, making it easier to promote compliance and address issues as they arise.
  • Positive Influence: Using all available tools to encourage responsible pet ownership. This includes offering free or low-cost spay/neuter services, providing pet care resources, and working with community partners to support pet owners. By positively influencing behavior through incentives and support, we aim to reduce the need for punitive measures and improve overall compliance with the ordinance.
  • Citations: Enforcing laws when necessary to ensure compliance. While we prefer voluntary compliance, citations are issued when pet owners fail to adhere to the ordinance, ensuring that there are consequences for non-compliance. Citations serve as a deterrent and reinforce the importance of following local laws designed to protect public health and animal welfare. If the purpose of mandatory spay/neuter is to get animals altered, then citing them in municipal court and forcing the owner to pay a fine and court costs certainly doesn’t ensure they have enough money to actually spay or neuter their pet to also become compliant.

Citation Clarity: Issuing a ticket for violating the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance does not compel pet owners to have their pit bull type dogs spayed or neutered. Instead, the citation serves as a penalty for non-compliance with the ordinance. When a pet owner receives a citation, it means they receive a citation to appear in municipal court and are subject to fines and other penalties, but it doesn’t mandate the surgical procedure. Our goal is to encourage compliance through education and enforcement, providing owners with the opportunity to voluntarily spay or neuter their pets, often with the assistance of resources in the community.

Please note that our Animal Services Division is citing for illegal breeding.

Violation of Sec. 14-60(d) which is the violation for the prohibited breeding of pit bulls.

  • Citations filed for violations of Sec. 14-60(d) from 1/1/2015 – 1/1/2020 (when animal control was operated by the city) = 13 citations filed in 5 years.
  • KCPP filed 8 citations in 4 years for Sec. 14-60(d) which is consistent with the number of historic citations

Across the board, citations are down in Kansas City as a whole, and KC Pet Project is adhering to best practices to only pursue criminal charges for serious offenses and when compliance has not been achieved.

Municipal Court:

We aim to be judicious in our citations to avoid overburdening the municipal court system. Our focus is on significant offenses that genuinely require legal intervention and when all other methods of enforcement have failed to gain compliance. We understand that the judicial system is already overtaxed, and we strive to prioritize cases that need to be cited, ensuring we do not waste municipal court’s time on matters not fully investigated, complaints that are moving toward compliance, or matters that simply do not rise to the level of a violation. By focusing on serious violations, we help the court system manage its caseload more effectively while addressing the most pressing compliance issues.

So why are there more pets coming into shelters?

Since 2020, we’ve seen a rise in intakes in shelters across the country, not just here in Kansas City, MO. Financial constraints and housing reasons continue to be the biggest reasons why pets are coming into the shelter. According to this CBS News article from early 2024 that KC Pet Project contributed to:

Man’s best friend is increasingly being abandoned on the street, often by people facing financial hardships who can no longer afford to feed or house them.

“Animal shelters generally reflect what is happening to people in a community and where there is food insecurity,” Stephanie Filer, executive director of Shelter Animals Count, told CBS MoneyWatch.

As 2023 came to close, there were 250,000 more animals in the shelter system than the year before, said Filer, whose group compiles data from nearly 7,000 shelters nationwide.

Difficulty covering the rent comes along with paying more for pretty much everything. Dog owners fork over hundreds of dollars a year for veterinary visits, and in 2022 paid an average of $354 for food and $315 for boarding, according to the American Pet Products Association.

“The economy and inflation especially are bringing up the cost of everything, from dog food to medical care,” Mike Keiley, vice president of the animal protection division at MSPCA-Angell, a nonprofit that runs four shelters across Massachusetts that have been running at capacity since spring of last year.

CBS News – January 9, 2024

Here are some other articles that explain the data and numbers of pets coming into the shelters:

So, What’s the Solution? Addressing Key Issues and Our Ongoing Efforts

KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division is actively working to address the root causes of pet overpopulation and the challenges facing pet owners in our community. Here are some of the key issues we’re tackling and the initiatives we have underway to create meaningful solutions:

Access to Veterinary Services: The number one reason that pets are coming into the shelter right now is due to families unable to afford or access veterinary care for their pets. Kansas City is under-resourced when it comes to low-cost and accessible veterinary services, and this issue extends beyond spay/neuter surgeries. The lack of affordable veterinary care is a primary reason why pets are surrendered to our shelter, often due to health or financial issues. The Pet Resource Center of Kansas City is currently the only low-cost clinic serving a population of half a million residents and is a great partner of ours. They are always expanding their services, which is exciting to see, as we refer hundreds of people to their services each month. We are always exploring more ways to partner with them, especially since our capacity is stretched to the limit with 40-70 surgeries performed daily (with nearly 10,000 surgeries performed in 2023). Additionally, we are part of the Kansas City Spay/Neuter Collaborative group, providing free spay/neuter days throughout the year. The last clinic that we hosted in March had more than 300 appointments fill up in a matter of hours across the metro. Recently, we also collaborated on our first free vaccination event with the City, vaccinating over 225 pets and distributing vital information about available services.

Advocacy for Affordable Housing and Pet Care: The second biggest reason that pets are coming into the shelter today is due to housing. We recognize the critical connection between housing stability and pet ownership. To address this, we are actively working with city and state officials to advocate for affordable housing solutions and subsidized care for pets. These efforts aim to reduce the number of pets surrendered due to housing issues and ensure that pet owners have access to housing.

Funding and Grants Opportunities: To be able to provide more services, funding is needed. We are always exploring additional funding and grant opportunities to expand our programs and services for supportive care.

Pets for Life Program: Our Pets for Life program is a targeted effort providing free spay/neuter services to residents in the 64127 ZIP code. This program adopts a door-to-door approach to offering resources and assistance, making it easier for pet owners to access the help they need. While still new to Kansas City, this program has shown promise in other communities, and we are optimistic about its potential here.

By addressing these critical issues and implementing comprehensive programs, KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division and the shelter are dedicated to creating a supportive and resource-rich environment for pet owners in Kansas City. Our goal is to reduce the number of animals entering shelters, improve the health and well-being of pets, and strengthen the bond between pets and their families.

Closing Thoughts:

At KC Pet Project’s Animal Services Division, our mission extends beyond mere enforcement; it is about fostering a compassionate and responsible community for all our furry friends. Animal welfare is a complex issue that is not universally solved by issuing citations for violations of the law. By addressing misinformation and highlighting our multi-faceted approach to the mandatory spay/neuter ordinance for pit bull type dogs, we aim to build understanding and trust within our community. Our efforts in education, community presence, and support services are data driven approaches to compliance, making enforcement a last resort rather than a primary tactic.

Other Helpful Resources: