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, cc: Mayor / City Council J City Manager / City Attom5Y / Nancy H Taylor Pl~nning. / Public Works ..; 5042 Woodman Avenue Riverside, CA 92506 Ht::L;EIVED 951-686-8471 MAR 2 6 2007 March 19,2007 City of Riverside City Clerk's Office Honorable Mayor and esteemed Council, Usually when a governmental decision is made to limit something, this action is believed to be a solution to a problem. I am unclear about the problem the action of limiting the number of animals an owner can have in the City of Riverside is intending to solve. In addition, I wonder what resources will be required to enforce this limit and will the solution effectively solve the problem and be cost effective? Lastly, I wonder what "new" problems this "solution" will create. Is the problem overpopulation? If this is the case, it seems to me the solution would be mandatory spay and neutering, except for legitimate breeders. Is the problem cruelty? Animal cruelty is about the owner, not about the number of animals. Is the problem safety? There is no correlation between this issue and the limit. I can have one nasty Pit Bull or a perfect little poodle that bites someone and still be "legal". Is the problem noise? How much noise do 4 barking dogs make compared to 1 0 non- barking dogs? The issue is barking period... not the noise level or number. As I look at the County of Riverside including unincorporated areas, residents are limited to 4 dogs and 9 cats before a kennel license is required. What direct bearing has this limit had on the quality of life and the safety of the population of the unincorporated areas of the County? I also wonder how has this limit impacted the City/County Animal Shelter? Recent stats indicate 80% of the Shelter's population comes from the unincorporated area where these limits are in force. If it is discovered that a family has exceeded their limit of animals, they have several choices: if! am responsible, I would find a home for all the animals I have over the limit. If I am not a responsible person, I would set the animals free or take them to the shelter to be euthanized. It seems to me the issue to correct any problem regarding animals is not the number, but the accountability of the owner to manage their animals responsibly and/or the capacity of each animal to reproduce. Limiting the number of animals I can have will not make me more responsible nor will it encourage me to have my pets spayed or neutered.