Sept. 22, 2021, update: We do not have additional information on the investigation; however, we wanted to address some questions and concerns we have been receiving in regard to our kennel permitting ordinance and occupancy requirements at pet-boarding facilities.
City Manager David Morgan goes through this information in the video below. We want to make a few things clearer:
• The kennel permit ordinance regulates such requirements as food, water, sanitary conditions, and health. It does not require sprinklers, smoke alarms, or 24/7 staffing.
• Failure to obtain a kennel permit does not mean such businesses cannot operate. Ponderosa Pet Resort does have a permit to operate.
• We have not been actively educating about or enforcing the kennel permitting ordinance -- something we know we need to improve and are working diligently toward. We have an active, dedicated animal control team who respond to any concerns about animal health and safety.
• Because we haven’t been enforcing the kennel permitting ordinance, we do not expect to issue a citation to any of the three businesses we know of, including Ponderosa, for not having a kennel permit. But we want to reiterate: Obtaining a kennel permit does not require fire suppression.
• We are working through recommended updates to our fire codes, and expect to bring those before City Council this fall. Relevant to pet-boarding facilities, we expect to recommend adding a section about animal occupancy into our City fire code, which may require smoke alarms and/or sprinkler systems in kennels and pet-boarding facilities regardless of square footage. We want your feedback on these updates, and have set up a comment box below to collect them.
• First responders reported that the majority of kennels had one occupant. There were a few larger kennels that had two dogs, as well as several kennels that were unoccupied. Based on calls for service rendered at the facility since it opened, we have no reason to believe the facility did not meet our animal health standards. Codes relevant to occupancy limits are subjective to allow for flexibility based on the size of the space and the size of the animals.
As we have additional information and updates to share, we will post on the website: http://georgetown.org/2021/09/22/75-dogs-die-in-fire-at-pet-boarding-facility/
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