Observations all along the line - Kimball & the Southern Panhandle First

Letter to the editor

The real issue - irresponsible pet owners

I am responding to the article on the city council meeting and the discussion on dog issues in the community. Let me just start by saying there is a huge problem with dogs not being properly contained and running at large. However, I would like to focus more on the discussion of kennel licenses and the issues regarding those residences. I have a kennel license and was the “problem” kennel being referenced at the council meeting. We have a kennel license not to make money or breed dogs, but in order to be fosters for an animal rescue.

We have four dogs in our home. We have rescued three of those dogs. Before adopting our fourth dog we researched city ordinances to inquire about the limit on dog ownership in the community. Our family decided we wanted to start fostering dogs since we were at our ownership limit. When we inquired about it, we found that unlike other communities, Kimball counted fosters towards our ownership limit. If you foster, those dogs are considered yours even though the rescue is the legal owner of any foster. So the only way to become a foster was to obtain a kennel license through the city. We purchased the license and included our personal dogs on our license. We can only have up to two fosters at any one time as monitored by the rescue we volunteer with. All dogs in our home are spayed/neutered, current on all vaccinations, licensed with the city, and microchipped. All fosters that come through our home were pulled from various shelters and were at risk of being euthanized in those shelters. Fosters stay at our home until such time that they can be adopted through the animal rescue.

Shortly after we started fostering the issues began. We were notified that our dogs were a nuisance due to their barking. Do our dogs bark? Yes, they are dogs. Dogs bark. Are they a nuisance? No, absolutely not. They are not allowed to stand outside and bark at all hours of the day and night. We were told that if we did not remedy the situation that we would be ticketed daily with fines increasing each day. However, the underlying cause of our dogs barking was completely ignored and has yet to be addressed. Apparently it is completely acceptable for someone to incessantly torment and provoke our dogs to the point of them barking. Our dogs have been kicked at through the fenced, poked and prodded through the fence, sprayed repeatedly with a hose, and continually yelled at. We have witnessed this tormenting as have numerous other people in the neighborhood. Not only does this person do this to our dogs he does it to every dog in the neighborhood. It also happens on almost a daily basis, but is never addressed.

Being responsible pet owners and seriously concerned for the safety of our dogs, we no longer can allow our dogs to be outside unsupervised. We lock them in the house whenever we are not at home. They are only allowed to roam freely in and out when we are home. If our dogs bark then we go find out what they are barking at. We don’t allow them to stand outside and bark continuously. Our dogs do bark when they play, when strangers come to the door, and when protecting their territory. We will not punish our dogs for being dogs, but we also don’t allow them to be a nuisance. At any moment you can stand in our neighborhood and hear dogs for blocks barking, yet our dogs are the only ones being targeted. We have had 20 foster dogs come through our home to this point. Our dogs are never out running loose, escaping our yard, or a danger to others.

Let’s take a look at the real issue here which is irresponsible pet owners. Imposing more rules and regulations will only punish the responsible pet owners that choose to follow those rules. Enforce the current regulations and hold the irresponsible pet owners and repeat offenders accountable no matter who they are. All the rules in the world will not correct the issue if the parties violating those rules are not the ones being held accountable. I wholeheartedly believe if you are going to own a dog you should keep them properly cared for, properly contained, and put forth the time and effort to make sure they are well behaved. If you own a pet and cannot or will not do these things then don’t own a pet. If the decision is made to put new regulations into effect then do it with all the information in the matter. Don’t make up new rules without taking into consideration all the issues and information present, not just the information that suits you. Rules can only be fair and effective if all issues are presented for consideration.

Amy Nelson