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Kern County Ordinance Amendments

Animal Control Commission

In November 2008, the ACC voted to send an ordinance change to the County Board of Supervisors that will remove your right to keep more than an arbitrary number of dogs and cats.  They cited the animal hoarders who keep their animals in sub-standard and illegal conditions as a reason to remove everyone's right to own more than a certain number of dogs and cats.  We opposed criminalizing people who keep their animals in good conditions just to make it "easier" to take at-risk animals from hoarders.  If an animal, one or one hundred, is in an abusive or neglected situation then that is the illegal act.  A number should never be illegal.  

We foresee that the Commission has gained a false sense of legitimacy with the Board of Supervisors about this ordinance proposal because the Commission can say this is what they hammered out after a hundred hours of public comment.  Unfortunately, the public majority did not influence this ordinance.  This is a result of a few ardent anti-pet (so called "animal rights") supporters imposing their will over the majority who spoke at workshops and at the Commission meetings.

The Board of Supervisors will meet on 29 September, afternoon session 2:00 PM, with the ordinance changes on the agenda.  We have been assured that this is only to set a date for the public hearing.  We will update this page when the hearing date is known. 

 

The next Animal Control Commission meeting will be at 6:00 PM on 18 November 2009, in Bakersfield.      

http://www.co.kern.ca.us/RMA/ACC_A&S.asp

TMDF have been active in presenting pro-dog suggestions and we consistently attend workshops and A. C. C. meetings.  We have seriously discussed how to address the problems of dog-dumping, backyard/mini puppy mills, and the high kill rate in our government shelters.  We have given our proposed scheme to the Animal Control Commission. (see under Statements)



TMDF considers the neglect or abuse of animals to be a serious affront to society's humanity.  Abuse and neglect can occur to one animal in a household and it can occur to twenty animals.  The cases of mass neglect or abuse are obviously more sensational to read and hear about than one dog found abandoned and starving.  But, one neglected dog is no less an affront to us than twenty.  Therefore we will continue to push our government authorities to craft laws that speak to the deed and not the number. 

TMDF is aware of the health benefits and risks associated with sterilization.  We think the decision to sterilize, or not, should be made by the animal owner and their veterinarian and not by our government.  We are supportive of low-cost sterilization clinics and programs but we oppose mandatory sterilization of all dogs and cats. 

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