The number of fines issued against irresponsible pet owners in Hermosillo increased significantly, rising from an average of 10 per month in 2022 to 131 in the first quarter of 2025.
In February, the Municipal Institute for Animal Protection and Welfare broke a record for issuing 170 fines against pet owners for walking their pets off-leash, not having a bag to collect their feces, animal abuse, and/or neglecting to provide proper care.
In the last quarter of 2022, when the Canine and Feline Protection and Welfare Regulations were implemented, the Municipality issued 30 fines (10 per month), while in 2023, the number rose to 300 (25 per month).
In 2024, the number of complaints, reports, or accusations closed at 800 (66.6 per month). In January of this year, there were 93, in February, 170, and in March, the number dropped to 130, with an average of between 350 and 500 complaints per month.
David Palafox Celaya, director of the Municipal Institute for Animal Protection and Welfare, revealed that semi-domiciled dogs or companion animals—that is, those that have a home but are allowed to go outside without supervision—are the ones that cause the most harm to society.
Alejandro González Mares, a pediatric infectious disease specialist, explained that a large number of diseases can be transmitted through contact with pets, and one of them is rickettsia, which can be highly lethal to humans.
400,000 Stray Dogs Reported
Doris María Díaz, founder of Ángeles Perrunos, noted that there are around 400,000 stray dogs in Hermosillo, and the number of cats has also increased in recent years.
The associations, she said, are looking for ways to sterilize domestic or stray animals to prevent the population from growing, and they are provided care based on the location of the report and the location of each representative.
“There are also problems with dogs that are kept at home because some families take them out just to relieve themselves. We see this as very bad, and we have often had disagreements with the owners because we say that a dog that is on the street, has no owner, or is off a leash, belongs to anyone who sees it, and our goal is to sterilize most of them,” she stated.
Source: elimparcial
