HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0022.087 2004-2006 Page 1 0'~2
Murashige, Laura
From: CLAYTON SWEATLANO [claytonsweatland@msn.com]
Sent: Sunday, January 22, 2006 8:28 PM
To: counciltestimony@co.hawaii.hi.us
Subject: Animal Legislation --January 23, 2006
January 22, 2006
Hawaii County Council
Hilo, HI
Honorable County Councilmembers:
Please consider these suggestions regarding the upcoming animal legislation on January 23rd, 2006.
1. Section 4-22, Article 4 Mandates a 48 hour holding period for impounded stray dogs, but
mentions nothing about cats. Currently the holding period for cats is 24 hours. It usually takes at
least 24 hours for an owner/feeder to notice if a cat is missing. Please request that this 48 hour
holding period be mandated for cats as well.
2. Animal redemption fee. The fee is proposed to be raised from $10 to $25. When notified by the
HIHS of the holding of an ear tipped ~i.e.nuetered cat), this redemption fee that must be paid is
high enough after the $65./$50 invested in neutering the animal. Please request that this fee be
waived for AdvoCats because they have voluntarily and with private (not County) funds and volunteer
labor, undertaken a job which should be under the domain of the HIHS. Unfortunately, due to a lack
of resources, these animals are euthanized unnecessarily because it is the "cheapest" option. (This is
a 150% increase in the redemption fee, which comes out of pocket from the person who redeems the
cat and tries to find its rightful owner.)
3. Penalties for cruelty to animals. Penalties for animal cruelty, which mentions dogs and cats, have
been raised, which is a good thing. However, Section 4-29, regarding "Injury or poisoning of dogs",
should be reworded to include cats as well. We are well aware of the rash of cat poisonings and the
hangings of poisoned feral cats at Honokohau Harbor last year. Cats should be included along with
dogs in Measures A and B.
4. Microchipping. Most of the ordinance and fee changes award the lowest tier of fees to animals
with microchips. There are problems with microchipping that Councilmembers may be unaware of in
that the chips can move internally and are not foolproof for identification. Also, it is difficult, and
sometimes impossible, to scan a terrified, aggressive animal (which may exhibit that behavior
only because it has been traumatized). I believe this "fee bias" to encourage microchipping is
inappropriate.
5. Licenses. Certain factions of dog owners have raised the issue at hearings about licenses for
cats. Nuisance dogs can be specifcally tied to their behavior, ie, continuous barking, aggression,
attack, and in this category, licenses help trace owners. It is totally impractical and unreliable to
require licenses for cats. Wearing a collar and tag presents a choking danger for outdoor cats, so this
is not an "equality of the species" issue. Thereby I strongly urge you not to consider licenses for cats.
This will be impossible to enforce. The best identification for a cat is a microchip, but that should be
voluntary with the pet owner, not a coerced decision with financial penalties for choosing not to
Cortm. No. Z 2
Ref. To:
1/23/2006 Rof. rsate I
Page 2 n~~2
microchip.
6. Trapping. Although this item is not addressed in the proposed changes to legislation, our
County Council should be made aware of the fact that the HIHS lends traps to the public to
trap "nuisance" cats. The problem with this is that they do not include any humane
instructions on how to trap cats. We have witnessed trapped animals left in the hot sun for
days at a time. People have brought cats into the shelter in traps without any cover over the
trap, traumatizing an already traumatized animal. Asa result, the public is unwittingly
trapping other peoples' pets, and frequently these pets are euthanized before the owner even
realizes their pet is missing. This is again another strong mandate to require a 48 hour
holding period for all cats brought into the shelter. This is a good opportunity to educate our
Councilmembers about this issue
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Judy Sweatland
88-1651 Moana Drive
Captain Cook, HI 96704
1 /23/2006