NEWS

Wyoming passes dog kennel ban

Kelly McBride
kmcbride@communitypress.com

Wyoming City Council has passed an ordinance that prohibits kennels on residential properties.

The issue came before council when a resident asked city officials to eliminate the provision that limits the number of dogs allowed within a residential property.

The ordinance passed Nov. 21 defines a kennel as “a lot or premises on which four or more domesticated animals more than four months of age are kept and where such animals are kept commercially for board, propagation, training, or sale.”

A public hearing took place before the vote, which was expedited to two readings instead of the typical three. No one commented during the hearing, and the ordinance was passed unanimously.

The Wyoming Planning Commission in September had recommended that kennels be added to the city’s list of prohibited uses in the section of the zoning code that covers residential businesses.

Community Development Director Terry Vanderman said the issue came before the commission during a Committee of the Whole, after the city’s limit of two dogs per household was questioned.

It’s a rule that is loosely enforced, Vanderman said, because its purpose is to minimize noise and potential mess and damage, not to impact a family’s pets.

The ordinance followed the city’s decision to eliminate a restriction on the number of dogs allowed within a household.