City Says La Quinta Woman Has Too Many Dogs

CREATED Dec. 6, 2012

  • Print
  • A La Quinta woman either has to find new homes for her dogs, or find a new home for herself. The city says a person can have up to four dogs -- she had ten. Video by kmir6.com

    video

A La Quinta woman either has to find new homes for her dogs, or find a new home for herself.
The city says a person can have up to four dogs -- she had ten.
Barbara Klein has spent years rescuing dogs from animal shelters.
A complaint from a neighbor brought attention onto Klein after six years of living in the cove with all her pooches.

From big to little, the dogs come trotting out of Barbara Klein's home.
Saving rescue dogs from shelters is her passion.
"Since January to October the city of La Quinta, the animals they sent over there was like 376 animals, they euthanized 132 of those animals," said Klein.
But La Quinta's city ordinance says ten dogs is six too many.
"The rules for La Quinta for the maximum number of dogs or cats that a resident can own or a person at a premise can own is four," said La Quinta senior code compliance officer, Anthony Moreno.
Riverside County's rules are similar, up to four dogs, nine cats.
Since the city told Barbara she was in violation, she found homes for two dogs.
"If anybody has had an old dog, they know they just eat at your heart, but he is in another foster home, and hopefully be able to live out his life up there," said Klein.
And it is difficult to receive a kennel license in city limits.
"If there were to be a kennel next door to the middle of a residential neighborhood, it would likely have adverse impact and probably wouldn't be pleasing to many in the community versus that one person," said Moreno.
So Barbara is thinking about moving.
"If I have to do that, if I have to leave my home I've spent six years building up, I will do it to save my family of dogs," said Klein.
But Barbara says the better option would be a fostering program like in Austin, Texas where people apply and pay to get a permit.
"The main thing I would like the city of La Quinta to look at is a fostering program that we can help save these animals and not have to hide them and not have to go into hiding," said Klein.
Klein has until December 10th to reduce the number of dogs to four.  She has asked for another extension.