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grain of rice" or that of a football has no bc,azing on its purpose. The reference to a food
<br /> product should be deleted.
<br /> The definition of "Stray" makes no provision for hunting dogs unrestrained in a "public
<br /> place", i.e., while hunting in forest preserves, game management azeas, etc. Such
<br /> exemption should be incorporated in the definition.
<br /> Division 3, Stray Dogs, enumerates the responsibilities of dog owners whose animals
<br /> have been impounded. We believe the impounding agency also has a responsibility to
<br /> attempt to locate the owner of a lost dog, and suggest the addition of a section such as the
<br /> following: "It shall be the responsibility of the animal caze center upon receipt of a stray
<br /> dog with no identifying information apparent, to scan the animal for an implanted
<br /> microchip, and notify the owner of record within 24 hours."
<br /> Division 4, Noisy Dogs, Section 4-16, Noisy Dogs, continues to sepazate "day" and
<br /> "night" time barking, presumably assuming all persons sleep at prescribed intervals. We
<br /> point out once again that a sizeable portion of the population does not fit that template,
<br /> and that succumbing to that paradigm is discriminatory.
<br /> Section 4-17 states that the owner of a noisy dog may be ordered to "attend obedience
<br /> school" with the noisy dog. I have conducted dog obedience classes, and can train a dog
<br /> to heel; sit; stay; and come, the conventional curricula of most, if not all "obedience
<br /> schools". I can also train bird hunting dogs to run quartering patterns, hold point, and
<br /> retrieve downed birds. I cannot train a dog to not bark. Neither will an "obedience
<br /> school".
<br /> Dogs bark because (a) they are bored, or (b) they are provoked by a person, animal, or
<br /> disturbance (thunder, fireworks, etc.). Barking can be controlled by eliminating the cause,
<br /> such as boredom, or by equipping the animal with a bark limiting device such as a "bark
<br /> collar". It is suggested that the unobtainable result mandated by attendance at an
<br /> undefined and unregulated "obedience school" be eliminated.
<br /> There is a similar problem with paragraph (f) (8), under Section 4-19, Dangerous Dogs.
<br /> What is an "animal behaviorist"? Who defines one, and how are they regulated? Absent
<br /> specificity, we suggest that the subject paragraph be eliminated.
<br /> We have reserved our most significant comment until last. In reviewing an outline of the
<br />
<br /> proposed amendment to Chapter 4, one is struck as much with what it does not contain,
<br /> as with what it does. Under Article 1, Section 4-1, Definitions, the term "dog" is used 33
<br />
<br /> times. By comparison, "cat" is mentioned twice.
<br />
<br /> Article 2, Dogs, consists of 6 pages devoted exclusively to dog regulation and behavior
<br />
<br /> control. There are sections on dog licensing, dog license fees, dog sterilization, dog
<br /> identification, dog leashes, confinement of female dogs, stray dogs, noisy dogs, and
<br />
<br /> dangerous dogs. The remaining Articles of the ordinance, 3 through 8, discuss farm
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