HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0022.117 2004-2006
Hugh Carroll
15-2724 Ina St.
Pahoa HI 96778
April 18, 2006
County Council
County of Hawaii
Deaz Counci] Members,
I am Sony that work requirements do not allow me to attend today's meeting on
animal abuse and regulation. I will try to make my points succinctly in this letter.
• Animal abuse here chiefly involves dogs. Other animals may be abused or come
to the attention of the Humane Society, but the vast majority of all social
problems with domestic animals on this island involve dogs.
• There is a lazge and evident clash of cultures at the root of many conflicts. Some
of the cultures of the South Pacific, Micronesia and Asia have no concept of
"animal abuse." There is no Humane Society in these countries, and in fact
people regulazly eat dogs. Cockfights and dogfights are common forms of
amusement.
• If you visualize a situation where these peoples are put together at close quarters
with people from American/European backgrounds, cultures where the humane
treatment of animals, especially dogs, is a matter of enforced law, you might
easily imagine that the stage is set for ongoing cultural friction. This is exactly
the demogntphics we have here in many neighborhoods on the Big Island.
What to do? Is it fair to impose the limitations and restrictions placed on the
treatment of dogs that exist in the rest of the United States? If we do, who will
enforce the new laws? I would recommend that the guidelines of whatever behavior
is enforced should be very understandable and as simple as possible.
I think one point of law should be unmistakable. Dogs can be very loud, and dogs
can be dangerous. If your dog is loud or dangerous, your dog is a social problem. If
your dog is loud or dangerous, you are adversely impacting the quality of life of those
around you. To my own specific problem: if your dog, tied up on a six-foot chain
24 / 7, barks constantly, wakes the neighbors up in the middle of the night, erodes the
enjoyment of the neighbors on their own properties, howls, moans and projects his
daily misery into the surrounding environment, your dog is just as much of a social
problem as a siren set up on your roof that is constantly wailing and disturbing the
neighborhood.
County Planning Department enforces setback regulations for all construction so
that adjoining properties do not negatively impact each other. How about some
dog/noise setbacks? A person should not keep a dog tied so close to neighbors that
Comm. No. Z Z .
Ref. To•~reseatOd
Re#. Uate
they cannot get any peace and quiet even in their own bedrooms. There must be legal
remedy for this level of disturbance, other than an expensive civil lawsuit.
I have no idea of the "reasoning" or "logic" of why people think they need pit
bulls and other dogs tied up around their houses, but is this society going to tolerate
this as "humane" treatment of dogs? Is Hawaii County going to set specific minimum
standazds for how dogs aze caged or tied or kept? This is the crux of the problem, and
I really think that if the Council does nothing else, your determination of minimum
standards for keeping dogs will solve many of the most serious social problems
involving animals here. If I wanted to keep a Bengal tiger in my backyard, you
would have a few comments and standazds I would think. Some of these ded dogs
are no less dangerous and no less noisy and disturbing.
Cultural diversity and idiosyncrasies might be tolerated up to the point where the
behavior is seriously at odds with the prevailing customs or laws of the host society,
or up to the point where the public welfare, health and safety is compromised. The
way that some people keep dogs here crosses both these lines. If the offender lives
out on rural property, then only the aspect of inhumane treatment needs to be
addressed, but in our urban and suburban neighborhoods where people are at much
closer quarters, definite and specific guidelines, spelled out and enforced, are needed.
As these neighborhoods build up and fill in, the matter becomes urgent, and the
Council's responsibility becomes crystal cleaz.
Best Wishes,