Life is Ruff

I'm sure many of you have heard about this, but if you haven't, Louisville is about to put in place the worst ordinance yet to effect ALL pet owners. This is not just about pit bulls or dogs, this is one that effects everybody.

I've always wanted to attend the KY Derby. Well, guess I'll be kissing that good-bye if this ordinance is not vetoed by the Mayor. It is rather interesting though, that Chrurchill is exempt from the whole thing cause I'm sure there is nothing illegal, explotive or abusive going on there? Yeah right.

I'd encourage you to at least skim through the actual ordinance which can be found at the link below. Contact information for the Mayor and city reps can be found there as well. If this goes through, it will mean that anyone with a pet in Louisville will be subjected to basically being a common criminal any time they refuse to have thier animal revaccinated after boarding or refuse to tell the Animal Services Director when they are taking the dog on vacation!

To read more opinion on this ordinance, the background on the Director of LAS, click on the link above on the left to the Dog's Life message board.

LOUISVILLE’S ANTI-PET LAW

On Wednesday 12/20/2006 at 3:45 a.m., Louisville Democrats rammed through an anti-pet ordinance that rivals laws all over the country for its sheer arrogance. This is not an anti-pitbull ordinance. It is an Anti-Pet ordinance. It strips property rights from owners, and grants the Director of LMAS (who also just happens to not be a U.S. citizen) the power to determine whether you may own your animal or not. It includes pet limits, vague nuisance provisions, and makes it next to impossible to keep an intact dog. You can read the entire ordinance HERE.

Here are some of the provisions:

1) There is no grandfather clause. If you currently own more dogs than are permitted for your lot size (No more than 3 dogs if you have .5 acres or less). If you’re over the limit, you are out of luck and out of compliance.

2) All unaltered (spayed/neutered) dogs must be in an enclosure that has been *approved in writing* by the Director of Louisville Metro Animal Services.

3) If you trail ride in the park, you must carry with you a "suitable device for the picking up, collection and proper sanitary disposal" of any manure dropped by your horse. Further, you must actually dismount, collect said manure, and dispose of it while maintaining control of your horse.

4) Vets are required to turn over their rabies shot records to LMAS so that dogs which got a rabies vax but not a license can be impounded.. They are also required to notify their clients of the provisions of this 94+ page ordinance.

5) All unaltered dogs must be microchipped. (There are new studies out that show a link between microchips and cancer, by the way--several of them.)

6) If you show your unaltered dog, and travel with it for more than 3 days, you must notify the Director as to the change in location of your unaltered dog.

7) If you sell, give away, or board (yes, board) your unaltered dog, you must notify the Director.

8) You may not purchase an unaltered dog without the written permission of the Director.

9) Revaccination/relicensing requirement for all dogs/cats removed from a kennel or cattery at any time.

10) Prohibits use of invisible fencing for unaltered dogs.

11) Mandates spay/neuter for any unaltered dog that is impounded for any
reason before the owner can reclaim the dog.

12) If any of your animals (not just dogs) “irritates” or “perturbs” anyone twice within a 5 year period, you will be forced to give up ALL of your animals and will be prohibited from owning animals again for 2 years.

13) Prohibits ownership of ANY animals by anyone who has two violations within 5 years-no matter how minor.

14) Requires reporting of all sales of all dogs, with buyers name & address to be sent to MAS, even if buyer is not local.

15) If you have more than one unaltered pet, of any species, then you will need a $300 Animal Dealer’s license to sell any offspring of your current pets. This includes gerbils, mice, ferrets as well as dogs and cats.

16) Every time you pick up your dog, cat, or ferret from a kennel—even a boarding kennel, you must get it relicensed and revaccinated against rabies!

The list just goes on and on...

This law, if enforced, will result in the end of pet-ownership in Louisville. Meanwhile, it is a boon to the very commercial breeders (puppy mills) and back-yard breeders it was intended to stop. Instead of ending bad breeding practices, it makes good breeders jump through so many hoops that many of them can be expected to throw up their hands and give up or leave. Those of us who need a carefully bred purebred dog will have to search far outside of Louisville to get one and will be punished financially if we bring them to Louisville.

Why would anyone need a carefully bred purebred dog, anyhow? Well, if you are disabled, you want the best quality dog you can find, because your very life will depend on that dog. If you want a companion animal, you want one with a stable temperament. If you would like to compete in AKC and other pure bred sporting events you can only do so with a pure bred dog. The best source of such dogs is home hobby breeders—who, under this law, will become extinct in Louisville.

If you would like to do something about this new oppressive ordinance, there are several options. First, write a letter, call or email Mayor Jerry Abramson and tell him to veto this ordinance. He can veto it for up to 10 days. It is widely believed he plans on signing it into law when he returns from vacation. Also send an email to the council members and let them know how you feel about this oppressive ordinance. Send a donation to the Louisville Kennel Club who has been fighting this thing for months and now will need funds for the legal battle they are about to take on with the city. Keep checking back here.. Soon we will be selling LKC items to bolster the legislative fund. Call you veterinarian and let them know how you feel about them releasing all of your personal information about you and your pet to the government.

Labels: Animal Welfare, BSL, Legislation, Politics