Two dogs, two cats per home plenty for Port officials

It looks as if the City of Port Washington’s current limit of two dogs and two cats per household will stand.

Although the Common Council took no action on the limit following a Feb. 18 discussion prompted by a request from a family that wants to adopt a third rescue dog, several aldermen said they favor leaving the current ordinance as it is.

If the city were to do anything, Ald. Pat Tearney suggested, it should consider keeping the four pet maximum but give families the flexibility to decide the ratio of cats to dogs.

Tearney also asked how the city handles cases where someone moves into the community and has three dogs.

“I don’t think we want to be in a situation where we tell someone to get rid of a longtime family pet,” he said.

Tearney noted that a couple of people in his district had contacted him to say they have two dogs and want a third.

Among those are Jocelyn and Josh Becker, who have two rescue dogs and in January asked the council to change the ordinance so they can rescue a third.

“There are many sweet dogs and animals that need to be saved, rescued or adopted into forever homes — homes with people that will love them unconditionally, treat them right and take care of them in the way they deserve,” Mrs. Becker wrote.

“It would be nice to get another one,” she told Ozaukee Press. “They bring so much to your life. They’re like our babies. We take them everywhere with us.”

Tearney said Saukville and Cedarburg allow residents to have a total of three pets, while Grafton allows five, three of them dogs. In Belgium families may have three dogs and three cats, while Thiensville permits four cats and three dogs.

Police Chief Kevin Hingiss told the council that he would like the city to retain its current limits.

“There are many sweet dogs,” he said. “However, not all pet owners are created equal. Some are very responsible and considerate to their neighbors while others are quite the opposite.”

If the city were to increase the limits, Hingiss said, “some of those people are going to add to their pet collection,” even if it means exceeding the new limits.

Police already spend a fair amount of time dealing with animal complaints, he said, noting that in 2019 the department received 167 of these calls.

Officers issued 19 citations, including 10 for animals running at large, four for unlicensed animals, three for keeping vicious animals and one each for barking dogs and not having the required vaccinations.

Hingiss also said that if officers are aware of someone having more animals than allowed, they do take action.

Noting that in recent years the city has agreed to allow pot-bellied pigs, Ald. Mike Gasper asked if they should be included in the pet limits.

Ald. Jonathan Pleitner said he’s less concerned about the number of animals people are allowed to keep than ensuring people comply with the city’s rules.

Many families get a second dog to provide a companion for their first pet, Ald. John Sigwart said, and they get a third when they fear that the older of their pets is nearing the end of its life. 

“Right now, I’m in camp two and two,” Sigwart said.

City Attorney Eric Eberhardt suggested that the city might want to consider a law similar to one in Sioux City, Iowa, where residents can have a third dog if their neighbors agree to it in writing each year — a concept Ald. Paul Neumyer said he likes.

“That puts the onus on the pet owner,” he said.

But some officials questioned what would happen if a neighbor who agreed to the higher number of animals moved away and the person who moved into their home objected to the additional dog.