RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Council postponed the first reading of an ordinance revising code relating to animals at their meeting last night.
The council is proposing changes to its ordinance that would separate the licenses needed to operate a kennel, pet day care and grooming businesses. They currently all fall under the same category.
Kennels are geared towards keeping animals overnight in return for compensation, as opposed to the day care type services that weren’t around when the code was first written.
Supporters of the measure hope to make it easier for businesses to set up shop in different areas around town.
The ordinance also clarifies care and treatment violations.
The Council will take up the first reading of the ordinance at the July 19 meeting.
Meanwhile, Sturgis is also considering some changes to its animal ordinance.
The staff at the Sturgis Animal Shelter are asking the council to change the ordinance to increase the number of days the shelter must hold an animal before adoption.
The proposal would increase that time from 5 days to 7 days.
In practice, the current 5 days is often not enough time to guarantee an animal’s owner has sufficient time to inquire to the shelter to see if its holding their animal.
The council held discussion on the matter last night and first reading of the ordinance could come at next month’s meeting.
