Newton dog owners air concerns at public hearing

By Manette Newbold

November 5, 2005 | NEWTON -- Local kennel owners are concerned about dog licensing ordinances and what qualifies as a legitimate complaint against their animals, citizens said at Thursday's public hearing.

People for and against the law changes filled all the seats in Newton Town Hall and listened as Jeff Watkins and Marie Bird, both members of the Planning and Zoning Commission, spelled out the current laws and proposed changes. Watkins said he had talked to 16 communities in Cache County before writing the proposed ordinances and wanted to make a law that was, "more fair, more definitive.

"I think it's very important to understand that dogs cause problems," he said, mentioning that some of those were biting and noise. He said neighbors should not have to put up with it just because they are neighbors.

If the new ordinance passes, dog owners that receive three legitimate complaints from neighbors would have 30 days in which to respond to the city.

Citizen Tammy McDonald suggested those complaints come from different households so that one neighbor can't make three phone calls and have the dog owner punished. McDonald, who runs McDonald's Farm with her husband and three daughters, raises several dogs at a time. She said sometimes one dog can walk by her kennel and set all of them off and wondered if that was means for a complaint against her.

Mayor Floyd Salisbury said he understood her concern and that a stray dog could run by set off all 20 dogs in a commercial kennel like McDonald's. "They're just like people. If a person walks by they all stop to chat," he said.

John Hester, county animal control officer, said the complaints would only be legitimate if there was physical evidence such as film of the dogs causing problems.

Citizen Petra Rust said she didn't like that idea because it could mean getting her video camera out in the middle of the night while she was wearing pajamas. However, Hester said there wasn't really another way of proving whose dogs were causing certain problems without that kind of evidence.

Salisbury agreed, saying "legitimacy doesn't constitute a phone call."

Tauna Gates, owner of Homesun Puppies in Newton, is also involved in raising dogs for commercial sale. She and her husband attended the hearing wanting to explain that they cared about both their dogs and their neighbors. "Mine are in a kennel most of the time," she said. "They mean too much to me. I really take care of my dogs but I feel like the problem is being pointed at me."

She, as well as others at the meeting, didn't understand the proposed licensing changes either.

"Why does every dog have to be licensed? It that a way to discourage us from having dogs?" she said.

The mayor said it was a way for dog owners to cover their own expenses. For every dog that isn't licensed, the city is charged if they are picked up by the pound or run over by cars. Last year, the town lost about $1,000 in expenses like those, he said. If every dog had a license and every kennel a conditional use permit, the town wouldn't lose so much money. He said the goal in licensing was not to make any money either.

Gates said she was willing to work with her neighbors and any problems they had. She said she didn't want her dogs to be causing any problems.

Salisbury said the issue would not be taken lightly and that all sides had legitimate concerns. He said, "The reality is we live in a rural community. We want to preserve that. We also want to be good neighbors. We need to be aware of people that wake up at the littlest things. We need to come up with a solution that helps all parties."

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