Mobile Council Debates High-Risk Dog Classification, Pet Limits in Animal Ordinance Overhaul

MOBILE, Ala. — An ordinance introduced on this week's Mobile City Council agenda would revise the city's animal control code, raising and restructuring the schedule of fines for violations ranging from improper tethering to animal hoarding. Under the proposed changes, failing to properly shelter and care for an animal would carry a $300 fine plus court costs. Tethering violations would start at $100 plus court costs for a first offense, rising to $300 plus court costs for any repeat violation. Allowing animals to run at large would follow the same structure: $100 plus court costs for a first offense and $300 for subsequent violations, while aggravated cases of animals at large would go directly before a judge rather than carrying a fixed fine.

The proposal also sets fines for failing to restrain high-risk animals at $100 plus court costs for a first offense, climbing to $500 for repeat violations. Public nuisance violations would follow the same $100-to-$500 escalation. A first hoarding offense would carry a $100 fine plus court costs under the proposed schedule. Mobile Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis has framed the proposal as more than a simple round of fine increases.

He said the ordinance would establish "clear standards for breeders, strengthens restraint requirements for high-risk animals, and creates a graduated fine structure that distinguishes between a first-time mistake and a pattern of neglect." That graduated approach lines up with the escalating penalties already built into the proposed schedule, where many violations carry a lower fine for a first offense and a steeper one for repeat conduct. Cheriogotis also pointed to a consumer-protection angle behind the new breeder standards, saying the ordinance "protects responsible pet owners by ensuring that the animals entering our community are vaccinated, microchipped, and health-certified before they're sold." Those requirements would apply at the point of sale, adding a layer of oversight for buyers alongside the revised enforcement penalties.

The proposal moved a step further this week when it came before the council's pre-meeting work session, where members heard from both city officials and members of the public about the ordinance's more contentious provisions. Much of that discussion centered on a new "high-risk" classification for certain dogs and a proposed cap on the number of pets a household can keep.

Under the draft ordinance, the high-risk label would apply to any animal with a prior history of biting or attacking a person or another animal, to exotic species such as monkeys, snakes, ferrets or non-domesticated cats, and to specific dog breeds — Doberman Pinschers, Pit Bulls or American Bull Terriers, Rottweilers, Chow Chows, Wolf Dogs or Wolf Hybrids, Presa Canarios and Akitas, along with any mix containing a significant part of those breeds. The ordinance would also generally limit households to five adult dogs and five adult cats, though Animal Control could grant exceptions for owners who demonstrate their animals are well cared for.

The breed-specific language and pet cap drew pushback from Anna Bush, president of Friends of the Mobile Animal Shelter, who told council members a dog's behavior — not its breed — should determine how strictly it is regulated. "A dog that bites is a dog that bites, and there's no way to know which one is going to bite until it does," Bush said. She also questioned the proposed household limit as arbitrary, warning it could push more animals into an already crowded shelter system and give rise to what she called "petty neighborhood tyrants" looking to report neighbors over their pet counts. Mayor Cheriogotis rejected the idea that the ordinance discriminates against particular breeds, saying the goal is to encourage responsible ownership rather than punish it.

"A Yorkie-Poo biting you on the leg is much different than other animals biting you on the leg," he said, adding that residents who can show Animal Control they are properly caring for a large number of pets would not be forced to give any up. "This is really targeted to the bad actors who are neglecting their animals, not the loving families who are taking care of many," Cheriogotis said. Council members and city officials have said the renewed push to tighten the ordinance follows a string of resident complaints last year about dangerous encounters with roaming dogs, including the mauling of a pet cat in the Jackson Heights neighborhood.

Officials also used this week's meeting to give an update on Mobile's new animal shelter, which is under construction along the Interstate 65 service road and remains on track for completion next June. The facility is expected to replace the aging Owens Street shelter with expanded kennel space, additional adoption areas, a veterinary clinic and improved space for staff and volunteers. City leaders say the new shelter and the revised ordinance are meant to work in tandem, giving Animal Control both stronger enforcement tools and more capacity to care for animals that come into the city's custody. The ordinance has not yet come up for a final vote, and city officials have not said when the council will take action.

Update: Council Hears Public Pushback on 'High-Risk' Animal Definition

Concerned citizens brought fresh questions to the Mobile City Council on Tuesday, Aug. 4, about what makes a pet "high risk" and how a snake could realistically be kept on a leash, as the panel prepares to review the revised animal control ordinance in committee this month. District 2 resident Anna Bush, who had already criticized the ordinance's "high risk animal" definition as a concession for "insurance companies and landlords" during an earlier council meeting, repeated her concerns Tuesday. She said the ordinance's description of Doberman Pinschers, pit bulls, wolf dogs and other canines as "high risk animals" is irredeemable and should be removed from the document entirely. "Risk belongs in the realm of underwriting, not legislation," Bush said. "This is absurdly arbitrary and doesn't address dogs that are actually dangerous." Bush suggested the city instead prioritize spay-and-neuter programs to address animal control issues.

B&B Pet Stop owner Bill Truffant said the new ordinance has several good parts, but said its "overly broad definition of 'high risk animal'" is not one of them. "The term 'exotic species' is undefined and the other phrase, 'nondomesticated cat or animal,' means virtually every species on the planet," Truffant said, adding that the restraint requirement made him wonder whether a parrot or lizard taken out of its cage would violate the ordinance. "How would you tether a snake?" he asked.

Mayor Spiro Cheriogotis said the ordinance states an animal is considered physically restrained if it is inside a home or fence, so pet owners should not be afraid to let parrots or lizards out of their cages.

The council decided during its pre-meeting work session to discuss the ordinance further during a committee meeting Tuesday, Aug. 25. A final vote is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 1.

"We've all received emails from people who are concerned about the ordinance as it is written. A lot of questions about breeds, about aggressive dogs, the number of dogs," District 7 Vice President Gina Gregory said. "We need to take a look at those and allow the administration an opportunity to explain better how we arrived where we are, because we had some meetings and I think we better understand it, but the public doesn't."

How the Ordinance Moves Forward

Mobile's City Council has seven members, each elected from a single district, and holds its regular voting meetings on Tuesdays. Proposed ordinances such as the animal control revision can be sent to one of the council's committees for detailed discussion, where members and city staff work through questions and possible amendments before the measure returns to a regular meeting for a final vote.

Related coverage from South AL News

• Mobile Weighs Tougher Animal Ordinance as Pet Limits and Breed Rules Spark Debate
• Mobile Animal Control Ordinance Approved After Months of Debate and Revisions
• 'How Would You Tether a Snake?' Mobile's Animal Ordinance Heads to Committee After Residents Pick It Apart
• 14 Sick, Underweight Cats Rescued in Mobile Animal Hoarding Case, the First Under New Ordinance