Any chef will tell you that you need to cook dogs and cats separately.

Bad news for Catdog

I could see enforcing the law specifically because you want it repealed ...

--|PW|--

More red state nonsense!

Blue states don't have such silly laws. And if they did, they wouldn't be goofy enough to enforce them.

The way this story reads, it seems that the Provo animal shelter people are enforcing a rule that you can only have two pets total in the combined dog/cat category, not that you can't keep dogs and cats together. After all, the people in question already have a dog and a cat, and were only stopped when trying to adopt a third qualifying animal.

Having said that, I still think this is a stupid rule and should be changed; why only two of each, for example, as opposed four total regardless of race, color, or species. I've known lots of people with that number of dogs or cats who do just fine. In our household we have quite a number of dogs, who do keep us busy but are by no means unmanageable and are well worth the effort. For one thing, our feet are never cold at night...

I know Utah is a conservative state, but I would bet the Blue States have more than their fare share of such laws. Liberal Democratic Party agendas actually take the attitude that government knows better how I should run my everyday life better than I do.

We have to have basic laws to help structure society.

The Democratic Party ideals are for more entrenching on individual liberties than Republicans.

Anonymous -- Remind me to put a smiley face at the end of my next tongue-in-cheek comment.

For example:

Having originated in a red state, I'm surprised that Provo ordinance hasn't outlawed spaying and neutering! Wouldn't want to allow contraception in Jesusland. And not to mention, they probably would have (had they thought of it) barred the adoption of same sex pets!

;-)

I'm thinking of starting my own fringe group. Just haven't decided on a theme yet...

"Cats and dogs sleeping together.....total anarchy!" ~ Dr. Peter Venkman

Enforcing the law surprises you ? HA! The folks at animal shelters, the SPCA, Humane Society, etc. are NOTORIOUS snobs when it comes to pet adoptions. As if living in a cage at the SPCA is somehow better than any home someone is voluntarily offering in it's place. The fact that someone would actually PAY these places for the privalege of adopting a kitten that they could otherwise get EASILY for free elsewhere should be more than enough.

Personally as a life long pet owner I consider it an insult for those people to even begin to question whether I am "fit" to own a pet. Par for the course in my experience.

OHGosh, can you imagine the horror that will be the release of "Garfield" (The Movie) in Utah?!?! Not only a cat and a dog living together, but a CAT and a DOG TALKING TO ONE ANOTHER! And making JOKES!! Is there NO SHAME?!?

I bet this legislation has something to do with health issues, however, something related to the two species, vaccinations, infectious diseases or a combination of all of those -- I know that not every state in the union has to consider and then contend with outbreaks of THE PLAGUE, like Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and sometimes Arizona do. Just a guess.

A grim statistic is that the leading cause of death in domestic cats in the U.S. is the feline version of AIDS. And it's contagious among other cats and perhaps for other species that they are in contact with. Not sure about humans but that would lend some insight into why certain female personalities go all apey about their cats.

-S-

Didn't I see you on SNL as "Debby Downer"?

Sherard,

I gave away two cats when I got married. Wifey wasn't a pet person.

Anyway, I advertised the little buggers in the local rag and rejected the first five people that called. And even after that, I had some concerns that the person I finally gave them to was a cat lady in the making...

Fitness in pet owners is a legitimate issue. Lots of people, pet collectors, people with no experience with animals and very young people can actually be worse than the cage. Unwanted pets (they had to have been wanted at one time or they wouldn't be pets) can be abused, abandoned, even killed by individuals who might otherwise be prevented from being pet owners by some simple qualifiers.

(but in the spirit of -S-)

Even the best screening can allow inhumane people to get hold of pets for nefarious reasons. (Wah wah!)

You start letting dogs and cats lay down together, next the you know the gays will want the same!

Thats why its Taco Gato and not Taco Gato and ???? (fill in whatever dog is in spanish)

-S- true that the leading cause of death in cats is feline leukemia. (feline AIDS)
Shelter story real quick....I work in animal rescue. 7 dogs-2cats and 2 birds makes for a very happy and rambunctious home. The "compound" out back is a full time job for the dogs. We resuced the most adorable chow golden mix about 11 yrs ago and found out that even tho she had been vet checked at the shelter and deemed "adoptable" she brought the canine version called PARVO home to our other healthy dogs. We ended up with approx 3m$ in medical bills as a result and all we were told was that if we didn't like the dog we adopted then we could bring her back and they would euthenize her because they didn't have treatment for PARVO in the budget.
Now I ask you..how does that make sense???
Shelters are no more than breeding grounds for every deadly animal disease out here. I tell everyone who is thinking about going to a shelter to go but be very cautious....Take the animal directly to your vet first..Don't wait and for goodness sake don't co mingle your animals until you know for certain.
oh..yes..and Utah is weird period..There's no escaping it..It's just a plain weird state period

You could have multiple wives but don't you DARE have multiple pets!!

andre3000: NO, *I* was the Falconer! Ha...

If I'd had more sleep by this hour, I'd try for some tale here that involves Toonces, The Driving Cat, careening cars with Toonces' owners over cliffs to spite the state of Utah.

Here ya' go...Toonces, the Driving Cat.

Just what we need, people being DIScouraged from adopting pets from animal shelters.

Omni...I'm not discouraging anyone. Shelters are a good thing and they certainly provide a viable option to the animlas being homeless and starving. They help control the animal population. The alarming statistics is that over 1MM animals a year are gassed and injected because no one wants them.
All I'm saying here is that there is never enough money in the budget of these shelters who rely on donations to make ends meet to cover much else besides a quick poke check and a rabies shot...I know first hand how costly that oversight on their part can be...Instead of being worried about how many dogs and cats you have in your home and turning down a prospect as a result, they should concentrate on having healthy adoptable animals first. Shelters are, in fact, breeding grounds for disease. That doesn;t mean the diseases can't be treated and controlled...It means that the general public who are unaware need to be more informed about the choices.

Unfortunately, the changed law will probably result in other misinterpretations.
"Councilman Dave Knecht has proposed adding the word "and" to the code."

After the amendment, you will have to have both a cat AND a dog.

This is actually a clever plot by the Animal Shelter to increase adoption rates by fooling the city into changing the law.