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Thursday, August 21, 2008

Proposed Pet Ordinance Upsets Some

By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
          For quite a few people in the East Mountains, having acres of land for their pets and livestock to roam is a way of life.
        That's why people turned out for a public meeting on Aug. 13 at Los Vecinos Community Center in Tijeras to voice concerns about a proposed ordinance that would affect all of Bernalillo County.
        There were several comments made by people with roots in the East Mountains. Several said they are dog breeders. There were people who run dog-rescue operations, including a woman who takes in wolf crossbreeds, someone who keeps hunting dogs and others who own barn cats to keep the rodent population down.
        Among those attending the meeting was Robert White, a project manager for a concrete slab manufacturer Coreslab Structures, who wore a suit, tie, dress shoes, a dog collar and a large chain.
        Toward the end of the meeting he complained that he had been passed over for comment several times. It was then that County Commissioner Michael Brasher, who was running the meeting, yielded the floor to White.
        "I'm not wearing this as a joke," White said, referring to his chain.
        He explained that he was making a statement about how animals are treated.
        "God's not going to bless this nation, this country, this county if we continue to treat animals this way," he said.
        The chaining of animals was discussed by the group, with some completely against chaining and others who argued that chaining animals can be done properly and isn't necessarily cruel.
        Another issue discussed was a mandatory spay and neuter program, one that may include licenses for keeping animals like show dogs or animals kept by legitimate breeders intact.
        Jani Klatt argued that mandatory spay-neuter will cause animal shelters to shut down because they will not have pets to sell. She also said that animal activists' agenda is to create a situation where no one can own dogs and cats at all.
        Each issue that came up seemed to have at least a few contradicting points of view, even among the attendees from the East Mountains.
        At one point Brasher asked if everyone in the room, about 50 people split between residences in the East Mountains and Albuquerque, agreed that there is a problem with an overabundance of stray animals.
        That issue was not agreed upon either.
        "They're trying to force these really pristine rules on East Mountain people," said Douglas Cooms of Cedar Crest. "It's city rules trying to be forced down the throats of country people."
        A similar sentiment expressed during the meeting was met with enthusiastic applause from several, but not all, of the attendees.
        Like many people in the East Mountains, Cooms keeps a few cats on his property to control the rodent population. He said he doesn't want feral cats that may scratch his children, so he keeps tame, intact cats. That way they can breed and maintain their numbers, necessary because of the relatively short cat lifespan.
        Reggie Lopez also keeps intact animals. He said he is concerned that hunting dogs are not mentioned in the ordinance. Lopez has American staghounds, dogs similar in appearance to greyhounds, which he uses to hunt hare. He said he keeps his animals intact so he can breed them once every decade or so, keep one of the pups and find a home for the others. He also said he keeps his animals under control so they don't create unwanted litters.
        Other issues discussed at the meeting were mandatory microchipping, which also encountered resistance, and limits on the number of animals residents can keep, a concept many attendees did not embrace.
        The current ordinance limits the total number of dogs and cats three months old or older to four per household without a professional animal permit. It also prohibits breeding without a hobby breeder site permit.
        For more information on the proposed ordinance or to make a comment call 314-0280 or go to bernco.gov, click A-Z services and go to Animal Control, where a copy of the ordinance is posted as well as summaries of the comments from eight public meetings. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 4.