Lee County, NC to Consider New Animal Control Ordinance on 12/6 – Changes Needed!
The Lee County Board of Commissioners will be discussing a proposed animal control ordinance at their meeting this Monday, December 6th. While much of the proposal is focused on measures to protect the public from dangerous animals and prevent the spread of rabies, there are some sections of the proposal which are problematic. We encourage local responsible dog owners to work with the commissioners to amend the measure to remove or modify the provisions that are unfair to responsible owners and breeders.
Lee County Board of Commissioners Meeting Details:
Date: Monday, December 6th
Time: 10:00 am
Location: 106 Hillcrest Drive
Sanford, NC 27330
Provisions of the ordinance include the following:
· Required sterilization of a dog on a second impoundment - The AKC believes that requiring that a dog be sterilized on a second impoundment is not reasonable. The violations may occur years apart and not be indicative of an irresponsible dog owner. Even responsible owners can have an animal escape due to a mistake by a meter reader, gardener, or friend leaving a gate open. If the intent is to address those owners who habitually allow their dogs to run at-large, a designated time frame for the impoundments to occur should be specified. The AKC does support the proposed graduated fines for owners whose dogs are impounded.
· Requirement that a dog be microchipped on a first impoundment
· A special permit requirement for anyone who owns more than thirty (30) combined dogs and cats – The fee will be at least $200, although the Lee County Board of Health will determine the exact fee. It is unclear what the requirements or process will be to obtain this special permit. AKC also believes that whenever possible, fees should be specified in the code rather than set by non-elected officials outside the legislative process.
· Minimum size requirements for any enclosure, pen or fenced in area, although dogs are not required to be kept in enclosures – An enclosure for one dog must be 100 square feet with sides at least 6-feet high. If the enclosure is utilized for more than one dog, it must be 100 square feet plus an additional square foot for each pound of the dogs’ total weight that exceeds 100 pounds. It is unclear exactly who this provision is aimed at, and what the basis is for the space formula. The AKC believes that dogs should be provided adequate area to stand up, turn around and lie down as well as time and space to exercise as is appropriate for the dog’s breed. We oppose arbitrary engineering standards that are not based on respected animal husbandry practices.
· Established standards for tethered dogs
The draft of this measure can be seen on the county’s website here.
What You Can Do
· Attend the Lee County Commissioners meeting Monday December 6th and respectfully ask that the commissioners may changes to ensure that responsible breeders and owners are protected.
· Contact the members of the Lee County Board of Commissioners and respectfully ask them to make specific changes. The contact information is as follows:
Commissioner Richard B. Hayes, Chairman
2004 Vantage Point
Sanford, NC 27330
rhayes@leecountync.gov
Home: 919-774-7658
Commissioner Larry C. "Doc" Oldham, Vice Chairman
714 Clifton Ln.
Sanford, NC 27330
loldham@leecountync.gov
Home: 919-776-6615
Commissioner Amy M. Dalrymple
1449 Dalrymple Farm Rd.
Sanford, NC 27330
adalrymple@leecountync.gov
Fax: 919-258-5950
Home: 919-258-6695
Commissioner James C. Kelly
937 Valley Rd.
Sanford, NC 27330
jkelly@leecountync.gov
Home: 919-718-6513
Fax: 919-718-6607
Commissioner Nathan E. Paschal
5594 Carbonton Rd.
Sanford, NC 27330
epaschal@leecountync.gov
Home: 919-776-3257
Fax: 919-776-0126
Commissioner Robert T. Reives
827 Primrose Ln.
Sanford, NC 27330
rreives@leecountync.gov
Home:919-774-4434
Fax: 919-777-6567
Commissioner Linda A. Shook
7992 Villanow Dr.
Sanford, NC 27332
lshook@leecountync.gov
Home: 919-775-5557
Fax: 919-774-1120
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Robert
www.TheAnimalLawyer.com
