Q: My city allows only 3 dogs, I have 4 and I am a responsible owner. Can they prevent me from having more than the 3.
A: In general, I'd say the answer is yes. I am assuming that the city ordinance does say something like "you can have up to 3 dogs, unless you're responsible in which case you can have more." A vague standard like "responsible" would make it such that the ordinance would be toothless. The only exception I can think of is if you can someone show that you need that 4th dog for some greater purpose (e.g. it is a service dog, etc) or that getting rid of the dog would cause more harm or trouble. In general, though, dealing with cities on exceptions to laws like this is a pain. Government generally is not receptive to making exceptions since, if they were, everyone would be asking for exceptions.
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