HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0022.059 2004-2006 From: Josephine Keliipio (Josephine@poidogs.com] fagl q i
Sent: Sunday, March 27, 2005 10:45 AM ~...1 (I~~~~ L
To: Council Testimony
Cc: Stacy Higa; jarakaki@interpac.net; Gary Safarik; Isbeil,~ rrginia; Bob Jacobson;
apilago@co.hawaii.hi.us; Pete Hoffmann; Dr. Fred FldfsCHufi'
Subject: BILL 4, DRAFT 5 -ANIMAL CONTROL (inadequate public representation and making
crminals out of responsible dog guardians)
Dear Council Members,
As a strong dog advocate and responsible dog guardian, I had no idea that for the last 2
years there was a task force working on changes to Bill 4. Were there any formal
announcements made about these meetings? If so, how was the public informed? I do
not recall the County announcing this via the newspaper. Also, I just began receiving the
County Newsletter again after somehow being deleted from the emailing list after Peter
Young left and thMere are absolutely no announcements about the upcoming task force
meetings, mainly the one on April il, how come???? So how was a person like me whose
dogs are a big part of my life supposed to have been involved or known or become
involved with these task force meetings???? How??? Also, how are people like me
supposed to participate when these task force meetings are held during work hours?
I understand that Lilian Beaufrere's group, Solutions, has been holding once a year
forums for the past 3 or 4 years now. I attended the first two but somehow,I seemed to
have been eliminated from her mailing list plus you have to pay $25.00 to attend. But
what bothers me, is that the County has allowed this private organization to create a
task force to make changes to the Bill without first notifying the public to see if there are
others who want to join the group. This is very disturbing.
Also, I attended tine Waimea meeting where about 30 hunters showed up. The hunters
were all poorly informed about the bill and they came because of what was said in the
West Hawaii Today (where Dana Simons was quoted as requesting that all households
be limited to 2 dogs). Suddenly it became clear to all of us during the hearing that Lilian
did not have propNer representation from the hunters on the task force. What does that
tell us??? It tells us that although she has been working on this bill for two years, the
bill is being pushed through by a task force that is poorly represented by the public.
Lastly, I was able to speak with Deputy Prosecutor, Mitch Roth this past Wednesday and
Thursday and while I might be wrong about the bill being pushed through by a bunch of
dog haters, the bill is certainly being pushed through by a group that is poorly educated
on dogs in general. Mr. Roth is a prosecutor whose job is to catch human criminals so I
guess I don't blame him for being narrowly focused. He believes that no dog should bark
which is as unrealistic as saying that no baby should cry. Dogs bark for good reasons that
are being ignored by the task force. The bill should be directed toward owners who have
dogs barking in despair or due to neglect. You don't need a timer to know who these
dogs are. But the bill (current and proposed) keeps going after responsible non-criminal
dog guardians like me whose dogs bark from time to time due to human generated
noises. A good example is when the Civil Defense siren goes off once per month a block
away from my home which causes my dogs to howl in unison. Mr. Roth believes that my
dogs should be silent but he neglects to understand the human generated noise that
caused them to bark in the first place. If the siren didn't go off, the dogs would not ho I.
1 Gomm. No.
Ref. To: ~~""--t
a~f. ~,a+,, MAR S 0~5
BILL 4, Draft 5 makes criminals out of responsible people and it is being spearheaded by
a task force that is poorly represented by the public and is severely lacking in
understanding dogs. Please kill this draft and work on a new draft that has input from
the public to include responsible dog guardians and advocates.
Mahalo,
Josephine Keliipio
76-168 Royal Poinciana Drive
Kailua-Kona, Hi 96740
(808) 936-4739 cell
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