Committee on Finance
Chicago City Council Meeting September 18, 2019
ORDINANCE
WHEREAS, in 2018, Chicago Animal Care and Control took in 7,271 stray cats, dogs and other animals to the city's municipal open admission shelter; and,
WHEREAS, Chicago Animal Care and Control has continued to make improvements in its 2018 live outcomes, including 1,892 adoptions and 8,959 animal transfers to one of the hundreds of homeward bound partnering organizations; and,
WHEREAS, Chicago Animal Care and Control has only been able to directly return 1,573 animals to their original owners; and,
WHEREAS, there does not exist a singular user-friendly portal for Chicago residents searching for their lost animal to access in their own preferred language; and,
WHEREAS, the possibility of some owners not wanting to retrieve their lost pet is possible there are many lost opportunities to return these missing pet family members back to their original owners because of stray-hold polices and homeward bound practices that do not acknowledge the possibility of original owners taking longer to find their pets; and,
WHEREAS, stories of pets taken to Chicago Animal Care and Control and transferred out before the animal's original owner can claim them are emerging, most notably the story of Kobe and the Moises Family, whom came forward searching for their rightful dog only to be rebuffed by a rescue organization and their adoptive clients; and,
WHEREAS, protective measures needed to assist pet owners searching for their lost animal while navigating various social media platforms, websites, rescues and the municipal shelter before their ownership rights are voided; now therefore,
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF CHICAGO:
SECTION 1. Section 7-12-060 of the Municipal Code of Chicago is hereby amended by inserting the language underscored, and by deleting the language struck through, as follows:
7-12-060 Redemption of impounded animals.
Subject to the exceptions provided i...
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