Hi Mark,
Thank you for spending the time researching and answering all of our questions here!
I am wrestling in my area with the situation that our animal ordinances have been changing over the past twenty years, but there has apparently been no attempt to notify the public of the content or the changes. If the community at large has standards for, say, a pet limit, that are vastly different from the legislated pet limit, my old philosophy of law prof said it's a guarantee that the law cannot truly be enforced. What does this do about the rest of those laws about pets, doesn't it decrease the effectiveness of those, also?
It's a wierd position to find yourself in to be explaining laws to people as a rescuer. They think we're crazy, because we're telling them that they are already over the "pet limit" or that it's perfectly fine for someone to trap their pet cat and take it to the shelter without telling them. I think this ought to be a responsibility of our local enforcement agencies, and not of the rescuers in our community.
Have you seen some good models for educating the public about animal law around the country? I'd especially like to know what Animal Control agencies you think do a good job of promoting their own laws.
Thanks!
Thank you for spending the time researching and answering all of our questions here!
I am wrestling in my area with the situation that our animal ordinances have been changing over the past twenty years, but there has apparently been no attempt to notify the public of the content or the changes. If the community at large has standards for, say, a pet limit, that are vastly different from the legislated pet limit, my old philosophy of law prof said it's a guarantee that the law cannot truly be enforced. What does this do about the rest of those laws about pets, doesn't it decrease the effectiveness of those, also?
It's a wierd position to find yourself in to be explaining laws to people as a rescuer. They think we're crazy, because we're telling them that they are already over the "pet limit" or that it's perfectly fine for someone to trap their pet cat and take it to the shelter without telling them. I think this ought to be a responsibility of our local enforcement agencies, and not of the rescuers in our community.
Have you seen some good models for educating the public about animal law around the country? I'd especially like to know what Animal Control agencies you think do a good job of promoting their own laws.
Thanks!