warren wants to tame pet law

Macomb County

After problems with exotics, city is revising its ordinance,

clarifying rules on dog, cat numbers.

Christina Stolarz / The Detroit News

WARREN -- Lions and tigers and bears -- in Warren?

After the city's animal control officer had run-ins with alligators,

boa constrictors, geckos and even a wallaby, Warren officials are

revising their animal ordinance to include a ban on wild and exotic

animals, city spokesman Joe Munem said.

An original list of more than 30 exotic animals -- from rhinoceroses

and elephants to boa constrictors and sharks -- will be reviewed to

clarify what should be included in an ordinance, he said.

While constrictor snakes can pose a threat if they get out, for

example, some smaller sharks in restaurant or home aquariums are

harmless, he said.

Once a list is formed, the Warren City Council will vote on making the

ordinance changes, Munem said.

"There's no infestation of rhinos, sharks and elephants in the city of

Warren," Munem said. But, "there are certainly exotic animals that

people should not be possessing. We also want to be reasonable."

Animal control officer Timothy Herig said the city's animal ordinance

is too vague.

It doesn't specifically list animals that are inappropriate household

pets; it lists dangerous animals as anything other than domestic dogs

and cats that could cause harm in a wild state. The only animals

mentioned include poisonous and constrictor snakes and those in the

cat family.

"It's just getting out of hand," Herig said. There's become "a need to

define it a little more carefully."

An assistant manager at the Humane Society of Macomb said any animal,

including a dog, could become dangerous. It just depends on how well

the pet and its owner are trained, said Janet Lupek, assistant manager

of the Utica facility.

"If a boa constrictor got loose in a neighborhood that might be a bit

of a problem, but then so can a dog that's not properly trained," said

Lupek, noting the Humane Society doesn't accept exotic animals. "It's

unfortunate the people are going to wild animals when we have so many

domesticated animals that need homes."

Another possible change to the animal ordinance includes rewriting the

section on the number of common household pets because it is unclear,

Herig said.

Right now, one section says that residents can have up to three dogs

and up to three cats in their home. Yet, another section reads that

residents can have no more than five animals, he said.

The ordinance is "going to be rewritten so people can understand,"

Herig said.