Countywide : Cleanup Equipment Required for Pets

Within several months, most of the county’s dog and cat owners who walk their pets will have to carry equipment to clean up after them.

The regulation, approved by the County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday, takes effect on Aug. 9 for residents of unincorporated areas. Three or four months later, the same rule will also apply to most other county residents, said Kathy Jenks, director of the Animal Regulation Department.

“Only Oxnard and Santa Paula will be exempt, because they have their own animal control departments,” Jenks said. She said it will take several months to issue warnings to residents of cities served by her agency.

Under the ordinance, owners of dogs or cats may be cited if they fail to carry containers and fail to clean up after their animals. Jenks said it will be up to the courts to set penalties for those convicted.

The supervisors also voted to allow dog owners to walk their pets at Silver Strand and Hollywood beaches near Oxnard in the evening and early morning.

Leashed pets will be allowed on these county beaches between 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. beginning Aug. 9. Owners will be required to carry cleanup equipment when they walk their dogs on the beach, Jenks said.