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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2006-11-29 Minutes ANIMAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE Minutes of a meeting of the Animal Advisory Committee held on November 29, 2006 at 7:00 P.M. at the Municipal Administrative Centre – Meeting Room 1C. ROLL CALL Animal Advisory Committee: Present: John Stoner, Chair Rhonda Johnson, Vice Chair Charmaine Dunn Councillor Adrian Foster John Sturdy Sheila Elkington, Sr. Animal Services Officer Anne Greentree, Deputy Clerk Helen Koseck Barb Boffey, Clerk II, Secretary Also Present: Carlo Pellarin, Manager Development Review Paula Dumouchel-Clay, Countrylane Kennels Tim & Frances Tufts, Kendal Hill Game Farm and Kennel Doug & Karin Aird Liz White, Animal Alliance of Canada Peter Lauder, Lauderhaus Kennels Catherine & Wayne Bolahood, Pinecrest Pomeranians 1. PROPOSED DRAFT KENNEL BY-LAW Anne Greentree welcomed everyone to the meeting concerning the Proposed Draft Kennel By-law. Anne advised the group that the draft By-law will be reviewed section by section. All present will be permitted to raise questions/concerns at any time. Liz White suggested, and it was agreed, that the “Animal Sound” definition should include other animals such as birds and mammals. Liz White suggested, and it was agreed, that the Breeding definition should include mixed breeds. The definition will be changed to reflect the same definition contained in “A Code of Practice For Canadian Kennel Operations”, written by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association – “Breeding – shall mean the generating of offspring resulting in a strain of related dogs similar in type and use.” Catherine Bolahood expressed concerns with the distinction between the wording “Hobby” in “Hobby Kennel” and “Commercial Breeding” Kennel. Animal Advisory Committee -2- November 29, 2006 Sheila Elkington explained the reason behind the inclusion of a Hobby Kennel in the By-Law. Carlo Pellarin gave a brief explanation regarding zoning, site plans vs. property site drawings, and requirements to be satisfied by new applicants. It was suggested that the word “Hobby” in “Hobby Kennel” be substituted with the word “Private” to be consistent with the Zoning By-law definition. Tim Tufts advised regarding “Purebred” that there are several breeds not listed under the Pedigree Act, (for example, Border Collies) and questioned whether this definition needed to be listed. It was agreed that the definition of Purebred be changed to reflect the same definition as contained in “A Code of Practice For Canadian Kennel Operations”, written by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association – “Purebred – shall mean a dog whose sire and dam represent the same breed and are themselves of unmixed descent.” Frances Tufts questioned if a Kennel that is retailing dog products such as collars, would need to be licenced under this definition? Len Creamer advised that the Municipality does not licence vending permits such as this, however, Carlo Pellarin stated that the property would have to be appropriately zoned for retail. Tim Tufts asked for clarification concerning Item 2.2 under Licensing. Carlo Pellarin advised if a licensed property owner was to sell their property, they would not be able to transfer the “Kennel Licence” to the new owner. However, Carlo further stated the zoning stays with the property and the new owner would not be required to rezone. Liz White stated she had concerns regarding Item 2.8.1 under Exemption from Dog Tags and Three (3) Dog Limit. Liz felt all Commercial Breeding Kennels and Hobby Kennels should maintain having dogs licensed for the purposes of being able to properly identify dogs in the event they go missing. Anne Greentree suggested that consideration would be given to adding in a new section to read “Where the Owner of a Private Kennel wishes to use dog tags supplied by the Municipality to identify dogs housed at the Kennel, the owner may receive such tags from the Municipality at no charge.” Anne Greentree stated Item 2.10.1 under Inspections of Premises would be changed to add the following sentence “Where the Kennel Operation is conducted in a dwelling unit, the Officer may inspect that portion of the dwelling unit used as the Kennel Operations.” Anne Greentree stated that under Inspection of Premises, Items 2.11.2, 2.11.3 would be deleted and replaced with Item 2.11.1 to read as follows “Where the Kennel Operation is located in part in a building or structure that is separate from Animal Advisory Committee -3- November 29, 2006 the principle dwelling, the Kennel Owner shall ensure that the following standards are met:”. Karin Aird stated she had concerns with Item 2.11.1 j) under Inspection of Premises. Karin questioned whether a firm minimum or maximum temperature for an indoor facility should be listed in the By-law due to different circumstances and breeds. Staff explained the need for defined parameters for enforcement purposes and agreed that the minimum temperature for an indoor facility would o be changed to 10C. Anne Greentree stated Item 2.11.1 c) under Inspection of Premises would be changed to read “Floors shall be of a smooth concrete finish or similar like material and shall be adequately sloped to drains.” Karen, of Countryside Kennels, questioned Item 2.11.1 f) under Inspections of Premises as to how a Kennel should keep track of placing a dog in an exercise run at least twice in a 24-hour period for not less than 30 minutes each period. Anne Greentree stated that how Kennels track this information would be left up to them as long as it was reasonable enough to satisfy an inspection by Officers. It was agreed to amend the wording to permit the owner some flexibility during extreme temperatures. Tim Tufts questioned the requirement for site plan drawings. Carlo Pellarin agreed to provide an example sketch to the Kennels to assist in this regard. 2. OTHER BUSINESS Members of the Animal Advisory Committee remained for additional discussions. Anne Greentree advised that the Municipality of Clarington had been approached by a group to establish a section of the Bowmanville Valleys 2000 park as leash- free. Anne advised the property was owned by the Municipality and the group would pay for required park signage. Anne asked for any Committee comments concerning this proposal. The Committee supports the development of a leash-free area, provided the section of the park to be mandated as leash-free was completely fenced, was large enough for dogs to run and did not present problems for the creek from an environmental perspective. Anne Greentree stated this was the final meeting of this Committee for the Term. Anyone wanting to sit on the Committee for the next term would need to fill out an Appointment to Boards and Committees Application form and submit it to the Clerk’s Department. The Committee Members were thanked for their participation and dedication to our community. Animal Advisory Committee -4- November 29, 2006 . ADJOURNMENT 3 The Animal Advisory Committee meeting adjourned at 9:00 p.m.