Council Keeps the Leash on Old Dog Laws

Local dog lovers may breathe a sigh of relief after Monday night’s decision from the North Kingstown Town Council. All five council members rejected a new dog ordinance that would .

“I’m reluctant to infringe on the rights of the majority of people in North Kingstown to have animals,” said Council Member Carol Hueston.

Council members voiced their sentiments that changing the ordinance was unnecessary, echoed in correspondence and during Monday night’s public comment.

“There hasn’t been a justifiable need for the change in this ordinance to limit the number of dogs,” said resident Russ Shabo.

Residents, council members and Chief Thomas Mulligan also displayed concern for how the proposed ordinance would have been enforced.

“Enforcing the animal control ordinances as they are is difficult,” said Mulligan, adding that if the changes were made townspeople would need to “step up” and make law enforcement aware of the situation.

“Would we actively go house to house and check licenses? No we would not,” said Mulligan.

Budget concerns also made an appearance during discussion, as Council Member Chuck Brennan noted that the and reduced the number of animal control officers earlier this year. With next year’s budget expected to be even more difficult, it will once again find itself on the chopping block. During this year’s budget process, Town Manager Michael Embury suggested closing the shelter to save nearly $120,000

Council members also worried that limiting the number of licensed dogs would lead to more unlicensed dogs.

“If someone has over the number, they may not get  [their dogs] vaccinated,” said Hueston.

Discussion on the topic began after Shermantown Road resident Cindy Hoogasian came before the Town Council to voice her feelings about her neighbors’ noisy dogs. According to animal control officer Liz MacLaughlin, however, doesn’t think the town needs to limit dogs per household, pointing to other methods such as nuisance petitions which could result in fines for owners who do not comply with noise ordinances. According to MacLaughlin, there are currently six canines that have these complaints against them, which last for the lifetime of the animal.

According to research conducted by the town in crafting the would-be ordinance, most municipalities limited each household to three dogs. North Kingstown, along with nine other towns (Charlestown, Foster, Hopkinton, Little Compton, Richmond, South Kingstown, Tiverton, West Greenwich and Westerly), currently has no limits on the number of dogs per residence.