HEADS UP in TN - Chattanooga breeders need to act NOW! For those not following, both Chattanooga and Memphis are embroiled in Shelter Management/AC issues and the AR groups are leading the charge to enact extremely restrictive ordinances! (Friday, September 12, 2014) Dear Legislative Liaisons, Club Officers, Delegates, Judges, and Dog Owners, Please forward this message to club members and concerned pet owners in Chattanooga, Tennessee. The Chattanooga City Council is considering a restrictive animal ordinance that would redefine “kennel” under city code, require largely unobtainable $300 annual permits and unlimited inspections for “kennels” and “dealers”, and establish problematic provisions for any person who sells or gives away a cat or dog. Under this proposal, home-based hobby breeders could not offer for sale more than two litters of puppies or kittens per year. Dog owners in Chattanooga are urged to contact city council members to express opposition to this ordinance. Please scroll down for more information. The ordinance was scheduled for a first vote on September 16, but appears to have been deleted from the agenda. Concerned citizens are encouraged to contact the city council staff at (423) 643-7170 for information about when this measure will be scheduled for a vote. Provisions of concern include, but are not limited to: ● A “kennel” would be broadly defined as any building, structure or property wherein any person engages in the business of boarding, breeding, grooming, training for a fee, or hunting with a companion animal, maintaining a Companion Animal Daycare, or providing “any similar service” for or with a companion animal. Under city zoning codes, a kennel would not be approved on residential or agricultural property. ● A “dealer” would be defined as any person who engages in the business of selling, buying, brokering the sale of, or bartering animals in any manner, including through the Internet. It is unclear if a person who buys or sells a single animal would be considered to be engaged in the “business” of selling animals or how this would impact a person who purchased, and later sold, an animal. “Animal shelters” (which under current law are not required to be not-for-profit) and commercial animal transporters would be exempted. Because a “dealer” would be defined as engaging in a business, business licensing and commercial zoning requirements would apply. ● Both “kennels” and “dealers” would be required to obtain a permit at a fee of $300 per year, comply with all regulations and zoning requirements, and agree to submit to random inspections of records and the premises where animals are kept, including private homes. Permits could be denied for “any due cause.” ● “Hobby breeders” would be exempt from permitting. A hobby breeder would be defined as “a person that is an active member of a recognized national, state or local breed organization and that houses or breeds dogs or cats at or adjoining a private residence for the purpose of improving the breed or exhibiting dogs or cats at shows operated by a recognized national, state, or local breeder organization.” A hobby breeder would be allowed to sell puppies or kittens from no more than two litters per household per year. A hobby breeder who sells puppies or kittens from more than two litters per household per year would be defined as a “dealer”. ● Upon request by an animal services officer or the animal control board, a hobby breeder would be required to provide records demonstrating that he or she had not exceeded the two litters per year sales limit. This provision would empower designated personnel to demand records without due process of law. It would further require an animal owner to “prove a negative.” ● Any person who sells, exchanges, or gives away a cat or dog would be required to provide documentation that the animal had received a specific list of vaccinations and anthelmintics. No exceptions would be provided for a pet owner advised by a veterinarian to provide an alternate vaccination protocol. The American Kennel Club believes that animal health care decisions should be made by an animal owner in consultation with a veterinarian and not dictated by city code. ● Every person who sells a dog or cat would be required to update the dog’s microchip registry information and report the new owner’s personal information to the city within 48 hours of the sale. What You Can Do: Contact city council members to express your opposition to the ordinance. Attend the city council meeting and state your opposition to the ordinance. Contact residents of Chattanooga who are impacted by this proposal and ask them to express their opposition to city council members. Next Scheduled Chattanooga City Council Meeting Tuesday, September 20, 2014 6:00 p.m. 1000 Lindsay Street Chattanooga, TN 37402 (map) Call (423) 643-7170 for updated city council meeting and agenda information, information about how you may speak before the council, and additional contact information for council members. Council Member Contact Information: Chip Henderson, Chair, Phone: (423) 643-7186, Fax: (423) 643-7199, E-mail: [email protected], note: there is an underscore between henderson and chip. Jerry Mitchell, Phone: (423) 643-7187, Fax: (423) 643-7199, E-Mail: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between mitchell and jerry. Ken Mitchell, Phone: (423) 521-0238, Fax: (423) 643-7199, E-Mail: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between smith and ken. Larry Grohn, Phone: (423) 643-7184, Fax: (423) 643-7199, Email: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between grohn and larry. Russell Gilbert, Phone: (423) 643-7183, Fax: (423) 643-7199, Email: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between gilbert and r. Carol B. Berz, Phone: (423) 643-7181, Fax: (423) 643-7199, E-Mail: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between berz and c. Chris Anderson, Phone: (423) 643-7180, Fax:(423) 643-7199, E-Mail: [email protected] -note: there is an underscore between anderson and c. Moses Freeman, Phone: (423) 643-7182, Fax: (423) 643-7199, E-Mail: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between freeman and m. Yusef Hakeem, Phone: (423) 643-7185, Fax: (423) 643-7199, E-Mail: [email protected] - note: there is an underscore between hakeem and y.
Posted on: Wed, 17 Sep 2014 13:19:14 +0000
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