ORD-2008-069 - Proposed Animal Ordinance Amendment on the Tethering of Dogs

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15 Kay Bishop, DVM, New Hope Animal Hospital Ken Redmond, Vine Veterinary Hospital Kathy Crabtree, DVM, Carver Street Veterinary Hospital Pat Pagel, DVM, Cole Park Veterinary Hospital Michelle Droke, DVM, Cole Park Veterinary Hospital Deborah Stein, DVM, Cole Park Veterinary Hospital Megan Hams, DVM, Cole Park Veterinary Hospital Marjorie Undeke, DVM, St. Francis Veterinary Hospital' Timmy Frazier said that he has tried to make all of these meetings and has tried to talk to people in the community, especially those in the northern part of the County. He said that he is a responsible dog owner, and he believes that tethering is okay if the owner takes care of his/her dogs and tethers in a humane way. He thinks that the problem in Orange County is the dog breed. He said that when the County Commissioners force something like this amendment down their throats, it makes the citizens mad. Susan Kelly is against the tethering amendment. She agreed with Commissioner Carey and they all want to do the right thing for the animals. For some, she thinks that it could be tethering. Stillman Wright was bom and raised in Chapel Hill. He said that he has tethered champion dogs and his dogs are not mistreated. He showed pictures of his dogs. His dogs are kept on ten foot chains, which give them 365 square feet. He said that he is a responsible dog owner. He also showed a picture of an American Pit Bull Terrier that got out of a fence. Josh Chapman was bom and raised in Orange County. He read from an article from the News and Observer. °Barbara Sherman, a Clinical Associate Professor at N. C. State University College of Veterinary Medicine, said `method of animal confinement should not be blamed for neglect. You can abuse those same dogs by putting them in tiny pens. We really need to examine the welfare of each dog." He asked those that live in Orange County and that have dogs that live on chains to raise their hands. He said that most people who raised their hands are from Orange County. He said that most of the people that are pushing this are from Chapel Hill and are not going to be affected by this. He said that he has dogs on chains at his house, and they will not stay in pens. Frank Tilley is opposed to the tethering ordinance. He said that there are surveys that say that dogs on chains become aggressive. He has seen plenty of aggressive dogs in pens. He has trained dogs for 12 years and you can make any dog aggressive and it is not just because it is on a chain. A dog can be happy on a chain just as much as he is in a pen. Suzanne Roy was a member of the Tethering Committee and the ASAB. She would like to answer any of their questions rather than referring it back to the Tethering Committee. She said that neglected dogs can be anywhere, but there are special circumstances that make tethering an issue that should be a policy decision — lack of a barrier, protecting the people from the dog, etc. She said that it is a situation similar to having an uncovered or unfenced pool. It is both a lure and a danger to children. She said that 175 children in the last four years have been killed or injured by chained dogs. She made reference to the people that would have to make changes if this ordinance is passed, and she said that these were people that the Tethering Committee had in mind when it recommended the 18 -month phasing period. Regarding the hunting committee, there are very strongly held beliefs against government regulation related to animal 27