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

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Orange County Animal Services 57,�), 501 W. Franklin St, Suite 106, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 (919) 968 -2287 Animal Control Robert A. Marotto, Animal Shelter PO Box 8181 Director . 1081 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd 304 Revere Rd Chapel Hill, NC 27514 Hillsborough, NC 27278 (919) 967 -7383 (919) 245 -2075 Animal Services Tethering Committee Meeting June 13'', 2007, 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. Unapproved Meeting Summary Location: Conference Room, John Link Government Services Center, 200 South Cameron Street, Hillsborough. OCTC Members and Staff Present: Jean Connerat Austin, Kristine Bergstrand, Mary Dow, Commissioner Mike Nelson, Animal Services Director Robert Marotto, Animal Control Manger Irene Phipps, and Office Assistant Lisa Smith. OCTC Members Absent: Margie Huggins and Kelly Strowd Agenda Review: Review and adoption of meeting agenda The supplemental notes from the April 11`s, 2007, meeting summary and May 7h 2007, meeting summary were reviewed and approved. Discussion: Committee members discussed the information that had been gathered throughout the committee meetings. The purpose of this discussion was to provide a preliminary set of recommendations and framework for the final report and recommendation of the Tethering Committee. It was understood that staff would prepare a draft report on. the basis of this discussion. Committee members recalled the interviews with North Carolina Animal Control authorities in counties with more restrictive tethering ordinances. From those interviews, staff learned that tethering ordinances seemed to work well; they did not appear to have any extra -added cost; and negative or unanticipated outcomes were few and far between. They also learned that any such change should be phased in over a long period of time in which there was considerable education, and that it must be an enforceable change. Committee members also discussed the possibility of having hunting dogs, dogs that are difficult to confine and dogs participating in sporting events exempted from any proposed tethering restrictions. Each of these potential exemptions was discussed in detail and it was agreed that their exemption should be part of the draft report and recommendations.