COM 0022.100 2004-2006 - Laserfiche WebLink

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My name is Lei Taft and I have made my home on the Big Island foi 36 years. I have owned, bred, trained and exhibited multiple Golden Retrievers fio plus }}engS~~}} of time and have also had multiple cats and livestock. As current president o~tlie ®rchifl'~~la~d bog Fancier Club and a member of the Hilo Obedience Training Club,. it is my responsibility to speak for the minority that this bill has clearly neglected to aekiriowledge. It needs to be stated that the clubs I represent are non-profit organizations and the trainers aze volunteers. There is no personal agenda aside from truly promoting responsible dog ownership for the love of dogs. I am an advocate of animal control and am not opposed to the intent of Bi114, Draft 6. However, the specific content of this bill needs further analysis and refinement. It is poorly written, short sighted, and lacks basic understanding of responsible dog ownership and animals in general. In its ignorance it has failed to exempt the training of a dog from the six foot lead requirement. You cannot advocate responsible dog ownership while at the same time prevent it from happening. In simpler language, you cannot train a dog without proofing the reliability of the training. Proofing requires training off lead. Should this bill pass, you will prevent the trainers of seazch and rescue, cadaver dogs, therapy dogs, and obedience dogs from training legally on the Big Island. In order to accomplish this high caliber of training a dog must be let off leash under the supervision of a trainer. While training can occur on one's own private property, again, proofing must occur in azeas with distractions. You cannot expect these dogs to perform in real life situations unless they aze exposed to multiple environments and situations that one's backyazd cannot provide, thus necessitating training in various locations. You need to exempt the training of dogs from this six foot lead requirement, along with licensed events that title them. A trained dog is a safe dog. An untrained dog on a six foot lead is not necessarily safe or under control. Another consideration is that while you have exempted hunters from the six foot lead requirement, you have not mentioned herding dogs which are used extensively on the Big Island. There have been many times when the use of dogs has been a necessary aid in gathering livestock that have gotten out of a fence, quite often on a county road. Herding dogs cannot perform their job on a six foot lead on private property either. While on the subject of livestock, that brings to mind Section 4-16 which addresses noisy dogs. Bi114, Draft 6 does not acknowledge that livestock can be even noisier or more of a nuisance than bazking dogs. This discrimination needs to be reevaluated. When ranchers are weaning calves the noise level is intense and carries on for hours, even days. A dog bazking for ten minutes pales by comparison. For whatever reason the license fees need to be raised is not an issue I want to contend with at this time. However, there is a problem with dog owners carrying the load of the Comm No. ZZ. Ref. To; Rw~~ (1 1 ~~,f. Uota~,