SOUTH BEND — Local veterinarians and pet owners say a year-old animal ordinance violates their privacy.

The St. Joseph County ordinance targets the animal overpopulation problem. It requires pet owners living outside South Bend and Mishawaka to have their pets vaccinated, micro-chipped and registered.

Local veterinarians say the ordinance isn't a solution to the overpopulation problem because it punishes people who get their pets vaccinated for rabies. They want to make licensing optional.

So, the County Council will consider an amendment drafted by local veterinarians.

The Lambert family has two dogs and two cats, one too many under the ordinance.

"If people are able to afford them and keep them updated on their vaccines and spay and neuter them, then I think they should be allowed to have more than the three," said Gretchen Lambert.

They also feed and vaccinate a stray cat that lives on their porch.

"When I finally captured her this spring and had her spayed, she was pregnant. That would have created four more stray cats running around our neighborhood," said Lambert. "That's something we don't need."

The licensing procedure requires veterinarians to turn pet breed and owner information over to the Humane Society.

Local veterinarians say that information is used to unfairly target certain breeds and confiscate pets from owners, like the Lamberts, who have their pets vaccinated for rabies annually, but have more than three.

"You are getting information from people who are already taking care of their pets, coming in getting their rabies vaccinations," said Dr. Jeff Vogl, one of University Park Animal Hospital's veterinarians.

Vogl and Dr. Donn Kryder from Kryder Veterinary Clinic say the ordinance is backfiring.

"What people are choosing not to do is not getting a rabies shot, they'll come in and maybe get a distemper shot," said Kryder.

Other people are choosing not to neuter and spay stray animals because they'd have to pay the licensing fee.

That's causing County Council members to listen.

"Obviously now it's in place, there are some issues being brought up by the people who are doing it; and we owe it to them to sit down and listen," said Michael Kruk, a County Council member and co-sponsor of the pet ordinance.

The veterinarians will write and present the amendment to the County Council for review.

The council was given a petition Tuesday night with 1,000 signatures from most of the county vets and pet owners.

Many veterinarians say pet owners do not know about the mandatory licenses that range from $5 to $25 a year per pet, or do not want it.

Some veterinarians say they haven't been enforcing the ordinance, and they could face fines up to $7,500.