HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0022.049 2004-2006 From: Me [xntrk@hotmail.com] ~ ~
Sent: Friday, March 18, 2005 12:06 PM ~ j li;.~ ~'rI .
To: Cou nciltesti m ony@co. hawaii. hi. u s
Cc: Safarik, Gary
Subject: Bill 4, Revision 5 [Animal] r;l)i;
Re: Bill 4, Revision 5 [Animal]
[The bill was unavailable on the County website]
I have raised, and shown AKC dogs for over 20 years, and have strong opinions about Animal
Control Legislation. I also have been the victim, here in Keaau, of 2 attacks on my dogs in my
own yard, which resulted in criminal charges being filed. Needless to say, this gives me some
experience with the current dog laws.
The Council should be aware that the general pet-owning population can be broken into two
groups: Responsible Pet Owners and Irresponsible Pet Owners. The responsible pet owner
never comes in contact with the personnel enforcing Animal Control Laws unless they become
victims of the other group.
In my experience, the only way to get the attention of the scofflaws is thru their pocket books.
Here in Hawaii County, this doesn't happen because of lack of enforcement of current laws.
There is no point in amending existing laws if the County is unwilling to enforce them; it is
simply a waste of everyone's time. Testimony reported in the Hawaii Tribune Herald indicated
that one Hilo resident has been trying to get the anti barking laws enforced since 1988 - No
Luck!
In my case, the neighbor's 2 Rottweilers and their Pit-bull came into my yard and attacked my
11-year-old spayed Pembroke Welsh Corgi on March 6, 2004. I managed to somehow get her
out of the jaws of the 2 Rottweilers and ran with her to the garage with the dogs chasing me. It
was only because of the intervention of another neighbor that I was not attacked as I tried to
protect my injured Corgi. I called the Police; they came, took pictures, interviewed the Good
Samaritan and got a copy of the Veterinary report after the Vet did surgery to save the dog.
It took 3 months and repeated telephone calls and discussions with the officer's supervisor to
get the open and shut case filed -and in the meantime, on April 6, 2004 one of the same
Rottweilers and the Pit-bull returned to my property at 6:00 AM, went into the garage and
Comm. No. Z Z
1 Ref. To: Pre
Ref. Cote
tried to attack the 2 dogs I crate there at night -the crates are sturdy, and held. The furor
awakened me and the 2 dogs sleeping in the house and the barking brought the attacking
dogs to my back lanai - I barely managed to get the door shut to keep them away from my
pets and me.
Now, I am trapped in the house and these huge dogs are going from door to door and window
to window trying to get in. Thinking I could safely go into the tightly fenced front yard and
scare them off, I headed for the door, Before I could control him, my male dog went thru the
screen and rushed to the fence to defend us. Woody weighs 30 pounds.
Have you ever heard a dog scream? The sound was like nothing I've ever heard. The dogs bit
the pad off Woody's left front paw THROUGH THE FENCE! He is permanently crippled, has to
wear a boot to protect that foot on long walks, and cannot be shown in either AKC
Confirmation or Performance Events. Basically, Woody went from being a valuable Show Dog
to being a pet in five minutes on April 6, 2004.
I went thru the same procedure again: Police, Vet, photos, bills and nagging and phone calls
and supervisors and that time the paperwork only took 2 months to file -both cases were filed
on June 4, 2004
It's been over a year since the first attack, and I finally spoke to the Prosecuting Attorney
assigned the cases yesterday, [March 17, 2005]. It turns out the first case has been tossed
because it is beyond the one year Statute of Limitations. They are going to charge the second
case because the dog was permanently crippled by the attack. Except for that, it probably
would not be charged and the dogs would be allowed to continue to maraud at will, as the
owner laughs at both the legal system and the old lady next door.
If you want to really do something about the animal control problems on this Island, you
would tighten the leash law to prevent dogs running lose, AND hire the people to enforce the
laws. This should not require a Criminal Court Case. The Animal Control Officers should be
able to issue tickets and pick up dogs on the road without depending on the County Police,
who have better things to do.
Bailing your dog out if he's been confiscated should be expensive enough to hurt: First, all
stray dogs should be neutered and micro chipped before they are returned to the owner. The
macho guy who owns aPit-bull will keep his dog home rather then let him be neutered. The
fee should be at least $50 plus the neutering and microchip costs, and licensing fees if
required. A second offense would be easy to document because of the microchip, and it
z
should be at least a $150 fine because there would be no added expenses.
Owners of barking dogs should be ticketed and fined out of court unless they decide to appeal.
Why do we have to clutter up the courts with petty things like this? Once again it should be
expensive the first time and increasingly so with each new offense. Any action that results in a
ticket to a dog owner should also require proof that the dog is licensed, or a license should be
issued at that time.
All moneys from Animal Control fines and fees should be earmarked for Animal Control so they
can afford to enforce the laws. Obviously, I would levy stiff penalties for dog owners who do
not prevent their dogs from being problems. I would also limit the number of dogs and cats
allowed on a residential property -this might vary with the size of the property: lots over half
an acre could have one or two more animals then the 10,000 sq foot city lot, but it is
reasonable to assume that the more dogs, the more barking will occur.
Carol R. Campbell
HC 1, Box 4127
Keaau, Hi 96749
808-982-8307
xntrk@hotmail.com
3