Dog debate packs city hall

A dog debate drew an over-capacity crowd to city hall in London, Ont., over issues such as no kill at the pound, private contracts for animal control, money for spaying and neutering, pet sales and a no-kill policy.
Here's The London Free Press story, in which reporter Chip Martin calls the crowd animal evangelicals.
The answers to the main points are straight forward:

• No kill policy? Nice ideal, but there are too many unwanted dogs and cats in a city to enact this policy at a reasonable cost that all taxpayers would embrace.
• Lift the limit of three dogs, three cats per household? Only if it's a temporary fostering situation. Otherwise, you have de facto kennels and "cat ladies" in neighbourhoods throughout the city.
• Expand spaying/neutering: Yes, despite the fact dog-owner purists like to keep their males complete. Providing this service at cost could be something for local vets to consider.
• Increase licensing fees? Dog ownership is already costly enough; raising fees will mean people will just not buy a licence.
• Feed, trap feral cats and relocate them: Do you really think farmers want cat colonies relocated to their properties? Don't you think there are already enough cat dropoffs in the countryside? Do you really imagine these cats live a charmed, relaxed life? Or are they owl food?
• Create a fourth off-leash park? Yes! Making it convenient to socialize dogs and their owners and get the dogs out of cramped city houses and yards is necessary. Dog parks rock and are fun to observe even for non-dog owners.