Garner town leaders are talking about limiting the number of rescue dogs one person can keep. The discussions come weeks after Garner police found 26 rescue dogs in one woman's home.

Police say Shelly Spicer kept 26 dogs and puppies at her home at 103 Bournemouth Lane. Officers found one puppy dead. Others had the contagious disease parvo. They started an animal cruelty investigation. And Spicer turned over the dogs.

Police say she fostered animals for years.

"Twenty-six seems like a lot to have," said Barry Nicklow, who lives a block away. "If you can't take care of 26, you really aren't doing the dogs any good. I mean, you ought to be able to take care of the animals you have and know when enough is enough."

Garner police say they haven't seen anything like this case in more than ten years.

But now they plan to set up a system so that people who keep rescue dogs will have to register with the town.

Mayor Ronnie Williams also would like to limit the number of rescue dogs one person could house.

"It's about protection of the neighborhoods I think," he said. "It's probably not fair to everybody, because of one incident. But because of that incident, it's time to revisit the ordinance. And unfortunately when one person messes up, everybody has to pay for it."

Williams thinks five is a good number.

"That sounds reasonable," said resident Barry Nicklow. "I mean, five in a small community like this, on a half acre is probably more than the land can really hold."

A spokeswoman for Paw Prints Animal Rescue, based in Garner, says the ordinance would not affect most of their volunteers because they keep fewer than five dogs unless they live in the country.

The SPCA of Wake County would not comment until the town works out all the details of the ordinance.

Garner's town attorney is drafting the new ordinance. It should be before the town council in about two months.

Police have not charged Spicer. But the investigation continues.

Spicer did not answer her door Friday afternoon. But you could see two dogs in her home.