Agenda - Council - 11/25/2008 - Laserfiche WebLink

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I am requesting a conditional use permit in order to both be in compliance with city code and allow children from two combined families to keep their pets. We combined households last year and were unaware of the code. Each family has two dogs which has caused this need. Our property is over three acres, so we have plenty of room for four dogs. We have one American Bulldog who will be four in December and is approximately seventy pounds who is the mascot for our son's football team. A Labrador Retriever who is six and approximately sixty -five pounds, a miniature Chihuahua who will be three in February who is six pounds and another miniature Chihuahua who is two and about three pounds. These are all family pets that have grown up with our children. They are good dogs and are properly handled and cared for. I am a responsible pet owner. For the small Chihuahuas we have a portable puppy kennel in the summer months that they are out in for short periods of time. We move it around depending on sun and shade as due to their small size; they do not handle cool/cold well. In the winter, they have a litter box in the garage and the outdoor pen is unnecessary due to their inability to be outside in the weather conditions. (It is currently October and they can only handle five to ten minutes) For the large dogs, we have a 12 x 12 outdoor kennel with a roof which has been in place for more than ten years, since I bought the property. This kennel is a permanent fenced kennel on a cement slab, 6' in height and is an effective, enclosed structure. When we have the large dogs out in the yard with us, they are either on their "run cable" or have shock collars: on and are supervised by adults. With my last lab, I upgraded to a two dog shock collar system so I can control two dogs with one controller. This is a hunting system that has a very good record of effectiveness and was highly recommended by the trainer at Blaine Kennels. Our youngest child does not take the large dogs out on his own due to his size.