City Council erred in passing stray dog ordinance

I feel sorry for Brad Kirby, I really do. Seems like someone made off with his beloved dogs and then sold them, even though the dogs had identification microchips embedded in them. Kirby told his tale of woe to the Dallas City Council while pushing for an ordinance that would make it illegal for anyone to take in stray dogs without making a concerted effort to find their owners.

Sounds like a nice idea, but as assistant City Manager Forest Turner told the council when the idea first arose: "This is unenforceable by code and is civil issue between two individuals claiming ownership of the same property."

Not only that, it places an unfortunate burden on good Samaritans who are trying to do the right thing.

Nevertheless, the City Council, showing more passion for Kirby's plight than good sense, passed an ordinance Kirby wanted. Now, however, the Dallas Animal Shelter Commission has voted 12-0 (with one abstention) to urge the council to repeal the ordinance. The Commission's arguments, especially that the ordinance is unenforceable and that dog thieves won't comply with it anyway, are persuasive.