Louisville, KY

[Michael Romanos]

Glencorgi's article (or reproduced article) is flawed. Even a dumb New Zealander can see this. The article says that 64% of Americans are dog owners. This is simply nuts. There are 300 million Americans. Of those a vast percentage (28%) are people under the age of 19. How many teenagers and pre-teens and babies are dog owners? If 64% of 300 million people are dog owners that would give you a figure of over 200 million dogs (many dog owners have more than one dog). Or should it really be 64% of all adults in the USA are dog owners. Even that is incredulous. The last figures I had on the dog population in the USA is around 54 million - down from over 60 million of five years ago. At fifty four million you have a one dog for every six people ratio which must be the highest dog-human ratio in the world. In New Zealand the ratio is one in eight - and we rank high.

[Dillydoodle]

Deleted my post

[milles2]

Thanks Deb for sharing the article "No More DOgs in My Old Kentucky Home" by the legislative Asst.

I read points A - O at the bottom of the article that describe how the legislation will effect residents.

What I see is strict licensing, higher fees than I pay here in rural NYS, and law to protect residents from harmful + nuiscance dogs.

I still do not see this as a vendetta against breeders but more importantly, I don't see this as protecting animals. Protecting residents from dangerous dogs, from animal nuisance, yes. But nothing about protecting animals.

n.. Prohibits keeping more than three dogs outside on residential
lots of a half-acre or less. ***Really, on 1/2 acre (ncluding your house) do you need 3 dogs?

o.. Prohibits keeping more than seven dogs outside on residential
lots between one-half and two acres. ** And if you read the actual legislation, it says puppies under 6 months don't count in this number. Won't most breeders send the puppies off before then end of 6 months?

I really don't mean to bait an argument with you. But I just don't see this aimed at shutting down responsible breeding programs.

[glencorgi]

Per Cindy:

Math error

Is my face red! There is a typo in my article on the Louisville issue, =
which a good friend just pointed out. Please correct the paragraph =
dealing with the euthanasia figures as follows:

"I did a quick check on the internet and found that in 2003, the =
population of Louisville, Kentucky was about 1.04 million. During that =
same year, Metro Animal Services took in 11, 253 dogs, of which 1189 =
were reclaimed by their owners, 646 were adopted and 6985 were =
euthanized. If only half of the 1.04 million residents of Louisville =
owned a dog (Most studies estimate about 64% of Americans are dog =
owners), that means that Animal Services euthanized about 1.3% of the =
dog population. Is that number too high? Maybe, but it's certainly not =
high enough to justify such a radical imposition on the property rights =
of American citizens."



I took the population figures from this website: =
http://www.ams.usda.gov/statesummari...Louisville.pdf and =
the dog euthanasia figures from a Shamrock Foundation newsletter.=20



Please forward this correction to everyone who might be reprinting the =
article.

[glencorgi]

From a rabbit person:


Everyone keeps yelling DOG, DOG; well let me tell ya; it is NOT just
dogs! It is any animal defined as a domestic pet! I know that a
fellow rabbit breeder crossposted on here what I had posted on a
bunny board about how this is affecting MY family.
My 7 year old daughter is the one that can be just DEVASTATED about
this new law. We just started showing/breeding bunnies as a wholesome
family activity that does not require a lot of money to do.
She got a show coat from her grandma for Christmas; we even had a
friend embroider it with the rabbitry name(which is named for my
daughter), her name, and a pic of her first ever show bunny.
She is anxiously awaiting the start of the shows so that she can wear
it and show it to all her little friends.
We cannot afford an animal dealer license! It would be $125 for us to
be able to keep the bunnies and only sell 1 a year. It would be $300
for us to be able to keep the bunnies and sell more than 1 a year.
And it is not like a pedigreed bunny goes for a whole lot! Maybe $60
dollars if you are lucky. The only ones we would be selling would be
the non-showable ones, and they would only bring about $15 as pets.
And it is not like we win money at shows! My daughter shows in the
youth division. They earn ribbons and trophies; no money! According
to this new law, we can't even eat bunnies! We know quite a few folks
who raise them for meat, as other people do cows, pigs, etc.
It also makes it against the law for us to tattoo our own bunnies.
They have to be tattooed in order for us to show them!
Many people are not taking the time to read the entire 90+ pages of
this unjust law. I downloaded and printed it out.
I have given Karen the contact info for the KSRBA, and I hope they
will listen to her.
I know of another lady in Louisville who just now purchased a trio of
bunnies to get started in the show hobby. She also is doing it for
her 2 young girls; ages 7 and 6. Now she is facing the very same
dilemma as we are. Keep the bunnies and be a "lawbreaker" or go
underground and not be a "heartbreaker" of your young children; who
are the only darn reason you are doing this in the first place!!!
I'll tell ya; getting up at 5 am to go to shows in a little tiring,
but we do it for the sake of our children.
I'm just so darn upset and frustrated!