Focus people
As expected, there's been a lot of feedback regarding my post on tethering including, as of late, a slew of comments of folks who have seen terrible cases of animal cruelty resulting from negligent owners and long-term tethering.
Listen, people, I don't disagree with you. The folks who do these things are doing dumb, horrible things, and they should face the appropriate punishment for it. I'm not saying there isn't a problem to be addressed ... I'm saying this particular prescription for the problem has me asking lots of questions and thinking there could be some unintended consequences.
Me thinking there could have been some additional work on this ordinance to narrow it down somewhat doesn't equate to me thinking we don't need one or that negligent owners should get off free.
Do like Nicki is working to do and tell me why this ordinance will work. Don't let emotion cloud your thought process, leaving you to fall back on 'we must protect these dogs!'
Listen, people, I don't disagree with you. The folks who do these things are doing dumb, horrible things, and they should face the appropriate punishment for it. I'm not saying there isn't a problem to be addressed ... I'm saying this particular prescription for the problem has me asking lots of questions and thinking there could be some unintended consequences.
Me thinking there could have been some additional work on this ordinance to narrow it down somewhat doesn't equate to me thinking we don't need one or that negligent owners should get off free.
Do like Nicki is working to do and tell me why this ordinance will work. Don't let emotion cloud your thought process, leaving you to fall back on 'we must protect these dogs!'
posted by Jmac at 2:45 PM
6 Comments:
From the M&C discussion it seemed that there was no way to "narrow it down" short of having an ordinance which required people/ Animal Control to determine how long a dog had been tethered, which would have made any ordinance completely unenforceable (unless you have AC officers standing there 24/7). The ordinance as it stands is pretty black and white --long-term tethering is banned-- but allows some discretion by the officer (as do ALL laws, btw --no police officer ever arrests/ tickets everyone for every infraction they ever see, otherwise the legal system wouldn't be able to cope). The fact that it is complaint driven should negate concerns about grandma who goes inside for 10 minutes to turn the stove off.
JMAC-
Just a quick reply -
I did NOT say this was "sloppy." Not even remotely. I said I usually believe that the need to review an ordinance in 6 months represents sloppy legislating, but that I thought this was an exceptional case. I was the one who coined the blunt fix to a specific problem phrase. There is no way we could find to make this more surgical. If you have some specific ideas, I am always extremely open to hear them. I think the previous poster described the probable outcome of the ordinance very well. Thanks JMAC.
Elton
oh..and I also invented the internet.
Elton
Nice work, then!
I also invented the internet
Your Nobel Prize and Oscar are in the mail. :)
Thanks for chiming in though, and I must have misheard your comments (I'm also disappointed that I was preparing a bottle when the mayor chided Carl Jordan ... The Wife was watching it, and all I heard was 'Wow. Does this typically happen?').
Granted, I'm not expert on the existing animal control ordinances, but I'm curious to take a look at them and see what is currently on the books and how the ordinance works with them.
I have a standing offer (actually made it to B. Aued) of $100 to anyone who can build a secure enclosure for a 60 lb. dog.
Remember that to comply with existing ACC (substitute the acronym of your choice) ordinances, the "enclosure" has to include a suitable shelter.
And it has to be one the dog cannot dig out of or climb out of.
And a suitable exercise area, the size of which to be determined by the enlightened conscience of the animal control officers on a case by case basis.
A commercially built chain link dog run, 5 feet x 5 feet, which is tiny, with no shelter and no dig out prevention, will cost in the neighborhood of $500.00.
Post a Comment
<< Home