Ojai Municipal Code Art. 11 Companion Animal Protection

No person shall breed a dog or cat within the jurisdictional boundaries of the City whose congenital anatomical features are likely to cause the animal, or the animal's offspring, to suffer from pain, deformity, or difficulty expressing natural behaviors, difficulty breathing, difficulty with physical exertion or exercise, or difficulty breeding, as a consequence of genetic selection.

(Ord. 961, eff. 11/21/2024)

For purposes of this article, congenital anatomical features likely to cause an animal or its offspring to suffer from pain, deformity, or difficulty expressing natural behaviors, difficulty breathing, difficulty with physical exertion or exercise, or difficulty breeding as a consequence of genetic selection include, but are not limited to, any one or more of the following:

(a) Snout length comprising less than one-third of the animal's head from the top of the skull to the tip of the muzzle.

(b) Abnormal or labored breathing sounds during rest, including snoring and snorting when awake.

(c) Body shapes, including, but not limited to, head size and shape, relative to pelvis that increase the risk of dystocia, perinatal complications, or death.

(d) Body shape or proportions that do not allow animals to mate naturally without human intervention.

(e) Exposed sclera when the animal is looking straight ahead caused by shallow eye orbit in the skull.

(f) Vertebral malformations, including, but not limited to, "corkscrew tails" and the lack of tails.

(g) Sensory loss, including, without limitation, blindness and deafness.

(h) Visible skin folds on top of the muzzle.

(i) Excessive skin folds on body, head, or legs.

(j) Unnatural posture.

(k) Stenotic, narrowed, or closed nostrils.

(l) Elongated or thickened soft palate.

(m) Hypoplastic trachea.

(n) Everted laryngeal saccules.

(o) Lagophthalmos.

(p) Exophthalmos.

(q) Lameness or movement disorders.

(r) Neurological disorders.

(s) Chondrodystrophy.

(Ord. 961, eff. 11/21/2024)

(a) Peace officers, code enforcement officers, and other persons designated by the City Manager shall enforce this article. The City Manager may publish written regulations in the manner required by law for the publication of ordinances and may take any and all other actions rational and necessary to enforce this article.

(b) Any person violating any provision of this article shall be guilty of an infraction as provided in Title 1, Chapter 2, Section 1-2.03 of this Code.

(c) In addition to any other remedies available by law and under this Code, a violation of this article is subject to the administrative enforcement provisions of Section 1-2.03 of this Code.

(d) The remedies specified in this article shall be cumulative and the City may resort to any other remedy available at law or in equity and resort to any one remedy shall not cause an election precluding the use of any other remedy with respect to a violation.

(e) The City Attorney may seek injunctive, legal, or other equitable relief to enforce this article.

(Ord. 961, eff. 11/21/2024)