The American Beagler Forum

Please check out this new ordinance that is up for vote with in a few days. You can help by emailing the list of representatives on that list to tell them it is not a good thing.

http://www.louisville-pets.com/whatyoushouldknow.html

TC , I don't live in Kentucky,but ist is sad to see something like this go to a vote!
If houndsmen don't organize then who are YOU! gonna blame ?

Attached is a letter I am sending to the Mayor and all the Council Members.

July 16, 2006


Subject: Jefferson County Dog Ordinance

Dear Honorable Officials,

The purpose of this letter is to express my concern about the Jefferson County Dog Ordinance that is currently being considered. First off I want to emphasize that I for one do not condone “Un responsible Dog Ownership”. I feel that the Jefferson County community has experienced several unfortunate instances of “Un responsible Dog Ownership” in the recent past, and something must be done to address these issues. As a community, we must work together to eliminate any instances that might cause injury or even death as we have seen in the past. I feel that corrective action must be thoroughly thought out and a well-established plan must be implemented. However, I feel the broad “Cookie Cutter” proposal that is currently being considered is based more on emotion, lacking a thorough understanding of the long term consequences of its implementation and It Must Be Voted Down.

The state of Kentucky is fortunate enough to truly own “Bragging Rights” throughout the World on numerous traditions. Kentucky is the Thoroughbred Capital and Bourbon Capital of the World. We have a strong tradition in college sports (mainly basketball, but we are seeing football starting to steal the spotlight year after year). We not only play host but we own the most coveted Horse Race in the World. The State has another claim to fame that goes unnoticed in the broad public and you may not be aware of it yourselves. Kentucky is home to some of the best hunting dogs/hounds in the world. Just an example of the states influence and more importantly Jefferson County’s influence did you know that the 2006 NKC Open Class-WORLD CHAMPION Beagle was born right here in the shadows of Jefferson County. Within a 50-mile radius of Jefferson including Jefferson County you have had numerous NKC Champions and Grand Champions, UKC Champions and Grand Champions, PKC Champions and Grand Champions, AKC Field Champions and AKC International Field Champions. This is in the Beagle community alone. There area many more accomplishments in other breed communities way to numerous to list and that I myself have no personal knowledge. These accomplishments may not be broadcast over the world or be posted on the Signs as you enter the State but it still brings pride to the hearts of many that practice this Time Honored Tradition. We can truly declare in addition to the many wonderful Accolades that Kentucky is also the Hunting Dog/Hound Capital of the World. As hunters, houndsmen and houndswomen we find ourselves in this day in age facing many obstacles. Loss of hunting lands, restricted lands, public perception of our sports, higher fuel prices (having to drive farther to enjoy our sport), higher hunting licenses and fees the lists goes on. It saddens me to know that there are more obstacles that lay ahead. There is a saying in the Hunting Dog/Hound Community that if you teach your kids to hunt, and then you do not have to hunt your kids. This rings true to those of us fortunate enough to have grown up in families where deep-rooted hunting traditions are carried on for generations. It would be a tragedy to eliminate or hinder future generations from experiencing the traditions of the Sporting Dog Community or just everyday companionship and the joy dog ownership brings.

After reviewing the proposed dog ordinance I get a sick feeling that Jefferson County does not want dogs or dog themed events. The fees that are proposed basically tell the community that if you do not have money then you do not get to own canines in this community. The proposed fees for selling a dog, registering a dog owning a dog will make the ordinary working people basically get to a point that they can not afford a dog. It would be apparent that those of you that would Vote Yes on such an ordinance have never witnessed the excitement in a child’s eyes when they obtained there first puppy, or having a child bear witness to the amazement of life with the arrival of a newborn litter or even see the pride and joy of grownups when the dogs that they purchased as a pup or raised from conception enact the genetics breed into them in there pursuit of game.

In closing I say there is more to this proposed Dog Ordinance than what you may have conceived. I ask of each of you to Vote this ordinance down. As a community there are better ways to alleviate the past issues of “Un Responsible Dog Ownership”.

Thank you for your time!!!

Sincerely,

William H. Mason
Kentucky Citizen

ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICERS can SEIZE YOUR DOG even if the dog is ON LEASH, if they decide that you are not PHYSICALLY ABLE to control it. SERVICE DOGS WORKING FOR DISABLED HANDLERS CAN BE SEIZED UNDER THIS PROVISION!!!

YOUR DOG can be DECLARED DANGEROUS for biting a trespasser, despite protections in KRS 258.095!!!!

ADS for puppies/kittens, cats or dogs MUST CONTAIN THE OWNER’S LICENSE NUMBER, even though MOST are from OUT OF COUNTY!!!

FEES have been increased—amounting to a PET TAX on RESPONSIBLE OWNERS to pay for ENFORCEMENT that is supposed to benefit EVERYONE!!

HUNTING DOGS are DANGEROUS DOGS!


WOW Are you kidding me???? If it a bug or a rabbit yeah my hunting dog my hurt it but when it comes to a person all he wants if to meet every person and have them pet him. Beagle....Dangerous!!! HAHAHA!!!!

Has anyone heard whether this has passed or failed?

Feed back would be great if we could hear how this turned out.

We need to know how many people were Torn Up (Or Killed) by dangerous dogs up there???? That's ALWAYS the CAUSE of this BULLCRAP,, no matter what part of the Country you live in tooo....

Crew Chief

I think more people have been hurt by Louisville Slugger bats than beagles..but we wouldnt' want to put any restrictions on that. Sounds like a bunch of poop to me.

MasonsBeagles-
Very well said.

looks like it aint over yet Folks

Just plain NASTY and UNDERHANDED tryin to get this placed While they Know EVERYBODY is BUSY with the Holidays

Louisville Metro Council to Vote on BSL, Limit Laws and Breeder Licensing – Action Needed Now!

On Monday, the Louisville Government Administration, Rules, Ethics and Audit Committee approved changes to the animal control ordinance which include breed-specific legislation, a limit law and restrictions on breeders and dog owners. The ordinance will be voted on by the full Metro Council on December 19th. This ordinance will have a devastating effect on dog owners and breeders in Louisville and may have a dramatic impact on the Kentuckiana Cluster, the largest dog show cluster in the country. Fanciers, breeders and concerned dog owners are urged to immediately contact their representative on the Metro Council and to attend the meeting next week.

What: Louisville Metro Council Meeting
When: 6pm Tuesday, December 19th
Where: Metro Council Chambers – 3rd Floor City Hall, 601 West Jefferson Street

Well Looks like thier Sneaky underhanded Tactics WORKED
be aware be VERY AWARE Folks as it stands NOW if your Dog is in Louisville and is off leash or not under YOUR CONTROL By THIER interpretation then your Dog can be Siezed AND it will Be SPAYED or NUETERED BEFORE you can get it back it MUST be FIXED or you cannot get it back...
So if your hound gets on a rabbit outside Louisville and is loose then it aint under Control and can be Siezed and will Never be BRED again.............
If your Dog get loose out the front Door and gets picked up it will be FIXED
If your Neighbor lets your Dog loose and it is picked up it Will be FIXED


Sounds to me like yall have some representitives that need FIXED

TC wrote:Has anyone heard whether this has passed or failed?

Feed back would be great if we could hear how this turned out.

Dear SAOVA Friends,

On December 20, 2006, after 13 months of consideration and much heated debate, the Louisville Metropolitan Council passed 100 pages of revised dog ordinances. While the effort was undertaken following the fatal maulings of a child and an elderly man and was generally expected to include pit bull and other breed restrictions in the City, the adopted ordinances contained no limitations on dog breeds. Instead, literally at the 11th hour, the ordinance was rewritten to drop BSL and includes mandatory microchipping and $50 annual fees for *ALL* intact animals, rather than a proposed $100 intact pit bull fee. Altered dog license costs will remain at $9.

In addition, the new law includes the following additional provisions:

Pet limits--3 dogs on up to .5 acre; 7 dogs on up to 2 acres and no limit on tracts greater than 2 acres.
New tethering restrictions
Revaccination/relicensing requirement for all dogs/cats removed from a kennel or cattery.
Breeder licensing.

Prohibits use of invisible fencing for unaltered dogs.

Requires 6 foot fence with one foot underground, 4 foot leash, and microchip for unaltered dogs.

Mandates spay/neuter for any unaltered dog that is impounded for any reason before the owner can reclaim the dog.

Requires vets to report rabies vaccination information to Metro Animal Services (MAS) so that dogs which got a rabies vax but not a license can be impounded.
Allows dogs to be impounded for "irritating" or "perturbing" ANYONE.

Prohibits ownership of ANY animals by anyone who has two violations within 5 years-no matter how minor.

Requires reporting of all litters, including brief description of all puppies.

Requires reporting of all sales of all dogs, with buyers name & address to be sent to MAS, even if buyer is not local.

Requires dog license # to be published in paper in any sale advertisement.
In order to enforce this series of expensive and very intrusive regulations, the city of Louisville requires local veterinarians supply dog owner - dog information to identify intact dogs receiving rabies vaccinations. Vets outside the city's limits will undoubtedly see increased business as people avoid this "gotcha" database. Florida and Texas Veterinary Medical Associations blocked such statewide data collections in their states in past. Unfortunately, in 2006, the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association and certain dog owners supported this statewide pet owner information reporting law.

Pennsylvania has proposed extensive new rules for that state's dog breeders. These appear to closely mimic the Pet Animal Welfare Statute of 2005 (PAWS) in their design and potential scope. Ohio also has a troublesome dog statute pending, while California localities continue their assaults on pet ownership and Virginia animal rightists' agenda grows. These assaults will only intensify in 2007. SAOVA's website has been updated to reflect the 2006 election outcomes http://saova.org/results.html and a new SAOVA News and Updates page added http://saova.org/news.html

As you prepare your Holiday gift list, please consider supporting SAOVA's pro-active animal owner advocacy via a website PayPal donation. Thank you.

Sincerely,
Bob Kane
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance -
Working to identify and elect supportive legislators
http://saova.org