Published: November 26, 2008 01:33 am      

Council votes to prohibit tethers, roadside sales

GREENVILLE — The Greenville City Council became a dog’s, or a cat’s, best friend Tuesday.

The Council passed legislation during its regular session to ban both the outside tethering of dogs, as well as any distribution of pets at impromptu markets along local roadsides.

Diedre Mead with Cause for Paws in Greenville congratulated the Council to taking both steps.

“I’m glad we’re going in this direction with these animals, because animals don’t have a voice,” Mead said.

The ban on roadside sales is effective Dec. 5, while the prohibiting of animals on tethers will go into effect on Jan. 1, 2009.

Assistant City Manager John Adel said the regulation against leaving dogs unsupervised on a tether was designed to protect the safety of both the animals and the public.

“Many times they don’t have access to food, water or shelter and a lot of times they get loose,” Adel said. “Just in the past six months alone, we have had 64 animal cruelty calls, 33 of those on tethering alone.”

There are three exceptions under the ordinance. A violation will not occur if the animal is being restrained for vetinary treatment, grooming, training or law enforcement activity; or if the owner or keeper is in the physical presence of the animal; or if the owner or keeper is walking the dog on a handheld leash.

Councilmember Doug Roszhart sought to table the vote until such time as the Council could better publicize the ordinance. Roszhart said he had done a lot of research about the issue since the Council talked it over during a workshop this past summer.

“It primarily targets more low-income residents,” Roszhart said, as he believed it may be harder for some residents to pay the additional expenses of adding or repairing a fence enclosure. “I just think it is going to effect a lot of people.”

Roszhart also asked that the ordinance to be amended to allow the animals to remain on a tether for up to three hours within a 24-hour time frame, noting his neighbor did not have the resources to fix his fence and was keeping his dog on a tether temporarily.

“It is not a case of abuse,” Roszhart said. “It is one of those legitimate reasons.”

But Mayor Tom Oliver, Councilmember Glen Steed and Animal Control Supervisor Brandon Krodle said there would be problems in enforcing an ordinance which included a time limit.

“I only have two officers on the street to take care of the whole city,” Krodle said.

Eventually, the ordinance passed 6-1 with Roszhart against. The ordinance included an amendment that instead of becoming effective immediately, it would take effect Jan. 1, 2009, to allow for more public notice.

The Council voted unanimously to amend the city’s itinerant vendor ordinance to ban the roadside distribution of animals.

The new regulations make it unlawful to engage in the sale, barter, trade, of giving away of any animal along any street, roadway or right-of-way; or from any parking lot along any street or roadway.

Adel explained to the Council how the existing ordinance already prohibited the sale of pets and other property in the parking lots along Wesley and other streets, but that the merchants who repeatedly engaged in the practice had found a loophole.

“A lot of the times we’ll find somebody who will say they’re not selling the animal, they are giving it away,” Adel said.

The ordinance provides exceptions, such as the incidental sale of pets at events such as garage and yard sales. Businesses which are normally engaged in the sales of pets who otherwise meet the display and setback requirements included under the ordinance are also exempted, as are special “adopt a pet” events sponsored by not-for-profit animal shelters, and/or animal rescue and animal adoption organizations.

Adel said the ordinance does not have any impact on those individuals who want to place advertisements in the newspaper or put up a notice on a bulletin board that they have animals for sale from their homes.

“There are a lot of other ways to get the word out,” Adel said.

Adel said the ordinance is also in response to a number of complaints the city has received from both businesses along Wesley Street and from individuals.

Mead said she was one of those who complained, as she believed many of those involved in distributing the animals are either involved in illicit “puppy farms” or refuse to take care of their pet’s litters.

“I call just about every Saturday, because it is such a problem,” she said. “Hopefully, those people will go and have their pets spayed or neutered and we can begin to reduce the pet overpopulation problem.”