Rescue Ordinance - Page 1

This week, the citizens of Van Buren Township in Michigan, persuaded their Public Safety Committee to remove a 4-dog limit per household from a proposed Animal Control Ordinance.  This was good news for the pet owners, dog trainers, breeders, hunters and livestock owners but left the township unable to deal with a number of shelters and rescues in the area. Some of these shelters are in the fast developing residential areas of the township.

Does anyone have a rescue ordinance that is working in their city that goes covers multiple dwellings to agricultural?

Thanks,

Diane Madigan

Hello Dinae, I'm kind of confused about your post.  If this is a household limit (or repeal of such limit), how does that negatively impact rescues/shelters?  Are you talking about controlling over population at the shelters?  I would think lifting a limit per household would help when more animals are able to be adopted.  Maybe I'm missing someting and if so please explain.

BTW, in my community a there is a three pet limit and I can't speak for anyone else but it doesn't work for me.  I have to license one of my dogs at my husband's business in another community.

Eliminating a proposed dog limit does not deal with rescues that have no guidelines.  They are allowed to have as many dogs as they want no matter how much property they own. Kennel licenses are issued only to citizens that have 40+ acres.  Rescue groups do not want limits and feel like they should be grandfathered in on any new legislation.  There is one rescue group that has 25+ dogs in a residential area, with a school bus stop at their property. They say they are a non-profit organization with a 501c3 IRS rating.  Through the efforts of the editor of the local paper, we are trying to get the bus stop moved.  There has been one dog at large complaint to the township, but the neighbors state there have been many incidents and are fearful. This is a Pitbull Rescue Organization.

So once again, is there any community that has legislation for rescue groups that are working?

My input on this is that these dogs are not family pets that are not being raised, trained, and nurtured in a social setting. They are transient animals who have a questionable history, living in crates in someone’s basement.

Thanks for any help,

Diane Madigan

Thank you for the clarification.  That paints a different picture, and not a pretty one.  Why and when was the limit repealed and were these "rescue" groups behind it?  Can you bring your concerns to the local animal control if these dogs are running at large?  Moving the bus stop seems like a band-aid solution, loose dogs of questionable character (and I'm not saying "questionable" because of the breed but because of the ? background) pose a risk period.  I wish you luck and let us know if you come up with any solutions.

 Diane,

Check with your state government. In my state kennels, rescues, small and large breeders et al, are regulated by the State Department of Agriculture and there is likely a division that deals with kennels, pets etc. We are also inspected, although it is not frequent enough in my opinion. There simply is not the money designated to make animal welfare, on any level, a priority, even though most on this site, for example, would think it should be. And I am not talking extremes here, but basic minimal standards of care.

All states I know of have regulations and minimum standards for kennels and rescues. Unfortunately, it is the GSD community who often fights revamping such regulations so that, for example, it would be illegal to hold dogs in crates most of the day in the situation you describe. So in some states, yes, it is legal to keep a dog in a plastic crate for almost the entire day. Likewise, there are some states that do not have minimum fencing requirements, standards for heating and cooling etc. But check, because your state may have them. Then it is a matter of determining whether this Pit Bull rescue does indeed, meet those requirements. When was the last time they were inspected, for example?

In my state one must also be licensed as a rescue, but many are not. So many people think it ok to simply decide to do rescue when, in fact, they have neither the experience, financial ability, organization or facilities to do so. Further, such groups end up taking in many dogs that really should not be accepted unless one is prepared to keep the dog for life because it is simply not adoptable (for a variety of reasons),

If I can help you locate the regs in your state, let me know.

regards.

The complaints need to be addressed...Check with the local authorities and make them address the complaints...Putting restrictions on home owners is not the solution

The solution is to get law enforcement   and Animal Control to enforce the laws and the restrictions concerning leash laws and loose animal control.....if it is endangerment to a child then go to school officials also...sounds like a bunch of people not knowing the law..

The state and city regulartories seem to go to the wrong lengths of punishing home owners instead of inspecting the rescues and enforcing laws on the books already and inspection of kennels and large rescues.....

If no one complains ,you must be doing things properly....when complaints are filed,,,make sure your complaint is followed through....check daily and make it known that people want answers ......if you dont ....that is what makes all the dogs that end up again in the hands of people who dont know how to even handle a barking,biting dog.....

THE  SQUEAKING WHEEL, GETS THE GREASE...

 Luvmidog.....great points. All too often the regs and laws are NOT being enforced. Most of the time it is because there is no money to do so. Animal control in my area is so underfunded it is sad. But so is the local law enforcement underfunded as a wole, and it is getting so bad that they tell citizens they won't even respond to certain types of calls!

Hodie, Luvmidog, and Sparrow,

Thanks for your comments and input. Van Buren Township has a population under 25,000. There are agricultural areas, residential, trailer parks, and multi-family areas.  We have 1 part-time animal control officer. As far as I know there are no state regulations for rescues or shelters and definitely no local ordinances. The Director of Public Safety stated that he cannot find any rescue ordinances in the country and I thought for sure someone out here in "Neverland" would have knowledge of such.

The township realizes they have a problem with the rescues and are trying to develop an ordinance without dog limits, a graduated offense table with escalating fines, at the same time as trying to keep the public safe. They have asked for my input and have responded favorably to any suggestions I’ve made.

Thanks again for any information from your communities,

Diane Madigan

 Diane,

Kennel regs for the state:

http://www.michigan.gov/mda/0,1607,7-125-2961_44618-169700--,00.html

Hodie,

Thanks for the link, the states 1919 dog law is vague for rescues and shelters. Which is probably the reason for the Public Safety Commitees reason for updating.  Their plan now is to place no limits on pets, (Yipee), and develop regulations for residential shelters.

Thanks again for your help,

Diane