Clay Davenport
Cerebral Nomad
LEXINGTON
Lexington officials followed the lead of their Davidson County counterparts last night, potentially banning all exotic animals as pets within city limits for the next six months as a new animal ordinance is drafted.
But the animals that would be welcome on a county farm are causing more of a stink in the city.
The squirrels, ocelots, monkeys and wolves mentioned among the animals on the banned list aren't allowed in Lexington now - keeping them in a residential area violates the zoning ordinance - and they don't cause most of the problems, city officials say.
Tony Beasley, the city's community-development director, said that the goats, chickens, roosters, pot-bellied pigs and fighting dogs that have moved into the city since the ordinance was last altered are the problem.
As the city's overall population has increased, the closer quarters mean that even cats and dogs can be a problem, especially in apartment complexes and condominiums, Beasley said.
Ninety percent of animal complaints involve dogs and chickens, he said.
Davidson County commissioners included a 60-day ban on exotic animals when they rewrote an animal ordinance and adopted it earlier this year. It was renewed several times before the new ordinance passed on a 4-3 vote.
Lexington city officials say that the moratorium is necessary while the new ordinance is drafted because the county ban could push some exotic pet owners to move into the city. The county's ordinance does not extend into the city. A public hearing on the moratorium will be held Oct. 25.
The ban includes non-native animals, venomous reptiles and snakes that weigh more than 50 pounds. It will be in effect until April 26, 2005. By then, Beasley said he hopes that a new ordinance will be written and that it will be understandable "without having a degree in veterinary science."
Under the current ordinance, which Beasley said was written in the 1950s, dog owners are restricted to three animals within 50 feet of an occupied building. Pigs, horses, cows, mules, sheep, dog kennels and chicken yards are banned within the city's fire district. Stables are only allowed 200 feet or more from a house.
But the law doesn't specify how many dogs or cats a person with a yard can have, versus a city resident living in an apartment. It doesn't give animal-control officers any guidance about what to do when someone complains that their neighbor's dog uses their front yard as a bathroom on morning walks to Grimes Park. It doesn't address fighting dogs or crowing roosters. "It's just out of date. Our culture has changed," Beasley said.
Police and community-development officials plan to look at ordinances across the state before they write Lexington's law.
Nearby Winston-Salem bans swine in its ordinance, but permits ponies and regulates rabbits.
Venomous reptiles are barred within Charlotte's private homes, and pet owners must apply for a special permit if they want to keep more than four cats and dogs. Animal-control officers also determine if a business is allowed to raise aggressive dogs, which are characterized by their temperament rather than their breed.
• Laura Giovanelli can be reached in Lexington at (336) 248-2074 or at [email protected]
LINK
Lexington officials followed the lead of their Davidson County counterparts last night, potentially banning all exotic animals as pets within city limits for the next six months as a new animal ordinance is drafted.
But the animals that would be welcome on a county farm are causing more of a stink in the city.
The squirrels, ocelots, monkeys and wolves mentioned among the animals on the banned list aren't allowed in Lexington now - keeping them in a residential area violates the zoning ordinance - and they don't cause most of the problems, city officials say.
Tony Beasley, the city's community-development director, said that the goats, chickens, roosters, pot-bellied pigs and fighting dogs that have moved into the city since the ordinance was last altered are the problem.
As the city's overall population has increased, the closer quarters mean that even cats and dogs can be a problem, especially in apartment complexes and condominiums, Beasley said.
Ninety percent of animal complaints involve dogs and chickens, he said.
Davidson County commissioners included a 60-day ban on exotic animals when they rewrote an animal ordinance and adopted it earlier this year. It was renewed several times before the new ordinance passed on a 4-3 vote.
Lexington city officials say that the moratorium is necessary while the new ordinance is drafted because the county ban could push some exotic pet owners to move into the city. The county's ordinance does not extend into the city. A public hearing on the moratorium will be held Oct. 25.
The ban includes non-native animals, venomous reptiles and snakes that weigh more than 50 pounds. It will be in effect until April 26, 2005. By then, Beasley said he hopes that a new ordinance will be written and that it will be understandable "without having a degree in veterinary science."
Under the current ordinance, which Beasley said was written in the 1950s, dog owners are restricted to three animals within 50 feet of an occupied building. Pigs, horses, cows, mules, sheep, dog kennels and chicken yards are banned within the city's fire district. Stables are only allowed 200 feet or more from a house.
But the law doesn't specify how many dogs or cats a person with a yard can have, versus a city resident living in an apartment. It doesn't give animal-control officers any guidance about what to do when someone complains that their neighbor's dog uses their front yard as a bathroom on morning walks to Grimes Park. It doesn't address fighting dogs or crowing roosters. "It's just out of date. Our culture has changed," Beasley said.
Police and community-development officials plan to look at ordinances across the state before they write Lexington's law.
Nearby Winston-Salem bans swine in its ordinance, but permits ponies and regulates rabbits.
Venomous reptiles are barred within Charlotte's private homes, and pet owners must apply for a special permit if they want to keep more than four cats and dogs. Animal-control officers also determine if a business is allowed to raise aggressive dogs, which are characterized by their temperament rather than their breed.
• Laura Giovanelli can be reached in Lexington at (336) 248-2074 or at [email protected]
LINK