COM 0022.066 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

Home

f. ~i April 1, 2005 _ _i 'J~. Council Chairman Gary Safarik Members of Hawaii County Council 25 Aupuni Street Hilo, Hawaii 96720 Dear Chairman Safarik and Council Members: We attended the meeting held at Waimea Elementary School Cafeteria on Monday, March 28, 2005 regarding BiI14, Draft 5, along with several members of the dog community. Present at the meeting was Barbaza Lively, Mt. Jacobson's Council Aide. She stated that she was the facilitator and would be keeping everyone who spoke adhered to the agenda for the evening. At one point in the meeting, she got extremely frustrated and expressed extreme "anti- dogbias." She stated that Mr. Jacobson's office received "hundreds of complaints everyday from people trying to walk in their subdivisions about barking dogs and that this was destroying their "quality of life". Upon questioning her about the validity of that claim she made, she corrected herself and said there were many complaints about "biting dogs". We in the audience all heazd "barking dogs". Most of us in the audience prefer our dogs to bark when people walk by our house. Our dogs aze there to alert us that there aze strangers in the neighborhood whether is is a walker or a jogger Another person questioned her about her "quality of life" statement. She immediately reminded everyone to stay on the agenda, yet she is the one who used that statement to begin with. Our question to you is what gave her the right to make an anti-dog or biased statement as facilitators should be unbiased Since Barbara Lively works for Mr. ,iacobson, she should not be asked to manage a meeting where her boss is the Councilman who introduced this bill. We would like to receive copies of the "hundreds" of alleged citizen complaints that Ms. Lively referred to regarding dog barking and biting received by Councilman Jacobson. Please send these to my mailing address. These statements prove that there is an agenda behind the proposed ordinance that is "anti-dog". We have many concerns regarding the language ofBi114, Draft 5. Section 4-12 regazding Dog License Fees is very troubling. Why aeen't cats having to buy licenses? Why should dogs contribute to the spay-neuter fund when there are many more cats than dogs in this county? As bird hunters, we have seen stray cats become "feral" and attack gamebirds as well as native birds. Yet, people are being allowed to feed these feral cats ai various locations around the island. Shouldn't this be monitored and shouldn't there be a penalty for hazboring and feeding stray cats like there are penalties for harboring stray dogs? Cats are allowed to roam free as there aze no leash laws pertaining to cats. Many are run over on the roads every day. Is that humane? Many end up in shelters only to be put down. There aren't enough homes out there to adopt them. Cats tease dogs and cause them to bazk Our dogs are confined in kennel runs, and the neighbor's cat will sit on the wall and tease it by twirling her tail and purring and staring at them. How fair is that? Comm. No. 2 Z. Ref. To: Ref. Uate ~--d e9Z~80 SO 40 .+dy