Tehema county California - new dog restrictions

[Liz ODell]

Please pass this info on!

Tehama County Kennels targeted
Board looks at controls
By GEOFF JOHNSON -DN Staff Writer
Updated: 03/16/2009 07:22:24 AM PDT


Animal advocates have convinced Tehama County Agricultural Commissioner Rick Gurrola to close a loophole in the kennel application process, but that may not be enough to stop the advocates from pushing the Board of Supervisors for stricter controls on the county's 30 commercial kennels.
Kennel licenses can be purchased without a use permit from the Planning Commission, though facilities require an inspection by Tehama County Animal Regulation before licenses are approved.
A use permit is only required for a commercial kennel operating outside an agricultural zone, said Planner II Robert Halpin.
Most of the county's land is zoned as agricultural, meaning kennels can set up in most of Tehama County without needing a use permit.
But eight licensed kennels operate in areas that are not supposed to allow kennels without a use permit.
In addition to the $1,805 application fee for a use permit, kennels operating outside an agricultural zone are subject to a $1,993 environmental review fee by the Department of Fish and Game, Halpin said.
Tehama County Agricultural Commissioner Rick Gurrola said he plans to bring the matter to the Board of Supervisors Tuesday with a proposal that he be allowed to revoke or deny kennel licenses if they are not in compliance with zoning ordinances.
After its first reading, the change could be approved as early as March 31 and enforced as soon as April 30.
Animal advocates, including Janie Hopper of Redding's nonprofit ResQ Animal Coalition, see the legal gap Gurrola hopes to close as evidence the county supports a practice the group says should be banned altogether.
There's too many dogs, too many kennels, Hopper said. It's costing the taxpayer too much money. Hopper said she thinks the county should place a moratorium on dog breeding, citing a 1990 San Mateo County ordinance as evidence such a program can reduce the number of unwanted pets.
The county already has a surplus of dogs and ResQ has spent thousands of dollars rehabilitating purebred dogs, some of which have been given to the organization directly from the kennels themselves, she said.
Hopper also alleged kennels that keep animals in poor conditions can cost residents money, not only in vet bills, but in taxpayer costs for increased animal control and even health care if dog parasites infect children.
Puppy mills have a damning effect on the whole community at large, she said.
Supporting Hopper is Lisa Sollenne of Millville Veterinary Clinic. Sollenne professed no support for kennels, claiming the need to make a profit limits the number of full-time staff a kennel can hire to care for its dogs.
The result creates inbred dogs with tooth deformities, ear and eye infections, tapeworms and respiratory problems, she said.
Dogs that are no longer useful for breeding wind up in shelters or are just let loose to fend for themselves, she said.
Tehama County requires a hobby kennel license for anyone who owns five dogs older than four months and a commercial kennel license for anyone who owns three dogs older than four months old wanting to sell dogs.
Someone that has two purebred dogs, and they want to sell the puppies, they do that without having to get a commercial license, Gurrola said.
A third license, called a working dog license, can be applied for by anyone with more than three cattle- herding dogs older than four months. It is required of anyone with five cattle-herding dogs over four months old.
All three licenses are subject to an initial inspection from Tehama County Animal Regulation, with subsequent investigations conducted at random, said Officer Curtis Knight.
Right in the beginning, the first thing we look for in any kind of kennel is the health of the dog(s), Knight said.
Knight is conducting an investigation of the eight kennels operating with a license but not a use permit, an investigation he said was spurred by complaints from the general public.
While some have opted not to file for a use permit with the planning commission and will instead discontinue services, none have shown conditions that violate the existing requirements for a commercial kennel license.
Knight said he sometimes sees hobby kennels operating as commercial kennels, but with a less than $100 difference between licenses, few owners have problems making the transition between the two.
Animal regulation, a subset of the Sheriff's Department, employs just three officers. Asked whether the department could enforce a breeding moratorium, Knight said it was up to the department to enforce the law, whatever that might be.
If a law or an ordinance is put in place, we'll enforce it to the best of our abilities, he said.

[Liz ODell]

Sorry I keep posting all this stuff in the 'general' area but I don't think most folks take the time to look at the 'legislative news' area...hope nobody minds.