Run Ins With Animal Control

[anicatgirl]

Anyone have any stories of run-ins with animal control?

I'm not sure how to even handle what I encountered today, so I'll tell the story and y'all can offer thoughts.

So local news for Wichita, KS had a story of a BP found in someone's yard. Animal control was called in to catch it. The article went on to say that they were going to hold it for 3 days before seeking it a home outside Wichita, because "Owning ball pythons is prohibited within the city limits." Now before I bought my girl I researched a TON, read the state, city, and county municipal codes to make sure it was OK. Nothing about them. Just the 4 large constrictor species, rear-fanged (which I will probably get a hoggie anyway), and all venomous.

So today I headed down to animal control to ask after the BP and to get some clarification.

Me -"HI, I was just wondering about that BP that was in the news."
AC - "Yes we still have it."
Me - "I was just wondering if you had found a home for it yet, and to see how it's doing."
AC - "It's fine, and yes we just had someone on the phone who lives far away from the city who might take it."
Me - "OK so have you guys contacted Tails and Scales? (Local reptile breeder group, the guys handle most of our reptile rescues.)"
AC - "Yes we've talked to them about it, in case this (gestures to phone) falls through."
Me - "OK, so in the news it said that BPs are illegal to own. (They nodded) Now I've read all the relevant code and haven't seen anything about BPs. (More nodding, by this point I was annoyed b/c I was essentially getting the brush off about it.) So while I don't mean to be rude, I gotta say if they're illegal, prove it.
AC - (At this point I was asked to see my ID. Not only did I not have it but ummm. Heeeeeeellll no.) (Girl pulls out her phone.) "It is in section x of part #7 and says it's illegal. Straight from our chief. No non indigenous species of exotic pets."
Me - "OK so what about like, sugar gliders?" (My husband has mentioned wanting some. Might as well ask.)
AC - "Oh yeah those are OK."
Me - "But they are not indigenous."
AC - "Yes but they are fur bearing, not nasty, scaly things."

I don't remember what else, I was mad. Some things about feral cats, their opinion that they should all be killed to solve the problem. Now I run a feral cat colony. So not a subject to start with me.... More mad.

Did more research done on the way to the local reptile breeders. Still see NOTHING on BPs.

Went to Tails and Scales to get some f/t mice. Talking to the breeder, it sounds like animal control is making stuff up and has no idea what they're talking about. And I guess as pets are "Private Property" they can't just take them w/o a warrant. Seems like our reptile community has gotten the run around by animal control for years, the more people I talked to about it, the worse/weirder it got.

Thoughts? How do you deal with people like this?

[Daigga]

I never had any run ins related to reptiles, but from what happened with my dog I have learned that it's surprisingly easy for someone with a strong distaste in your animal(s) to make your life a living hell. My family used to own a skittish german shepherd. We had four acres of private property and made it very clear to everyone we knew; do not come over without announcing yourself first so we can make sure she's under control, because she will bite. Long story short, my sister-in-law's mother came over one day while the dog was out, mistook her for our previous dog (who had been dead for four years...) and got herself bit. This woman proceeded to make life a nightmare for us and would not rest until animal control and the police were howling at our door to take the dog away.

The first time the police came they said the dog had to be quarantined to make sure she didn't have rabies. This was hard for me and my brother, who could see her in our sunroom but weren't allowed to let her out or touch her or play with her at all. After about five days of this she called the police again complaining about how we still had the dog, so now quarantine has to happen at a vet's office instead of on the property. The harassment got so bad that my mom gave the dog away to her friends across the metroplex in a different county, only telling my brother, father, and me after she was already gone.

My dog was on our property defending her family, but this woman still felt the need to harass us, claiming the whole while that she was terrified the dog was going to maul her grandkids (the dog loved those kids like they were her own) and caused my family a lot of strife. The cherry on top was that she billed us for the clothes the dog "destroyed"... Needless to say, we don't speak to her anymore.

My story is a little different though, because my animal actually did something, even if that something should have been protected by law (I mean really, I could have shot this woman for trespassing and local law wouldn't have bat an eye). But the policy changes on the fly due to complaints being filed have been a sore point since then.

[Tsanford]

I've seen court cases where someone jumps the fence and trespasses, gets bit. Nothing happened to the dogs in these cases because the dog did not leave the property, it was the intruder entering where they shouldn't be, and that's their own consequence.

This just seems retarded that this would end up that way..

[lizzy_troy]

(At this point I was asked to see my ID. Not only did I not have it but ummm. Heeeeeeellll no.)

Great call on this! That's definitely a "hell no" situation.

I'm researching the codes for your city/state to see if I can come up with anything, though I'm sure you didn't miss anything.

[lizzy_troy]

Here's what I found in the Wichita, KS city code,

It's illegal to "Own, keep, or harbor, sell or offer for sale, barter or give away any animal whose possession is prohibited by federal or state law; or any exotic animal as defined in by this title. This section shall not apply to: tropical or other fishes; birds, except those prohibited by federal or state law; animals such as gerbils, rats, mice, hamsters, guinea pigs, and ferrets; small mammals raised for harvesting of fur salable into an existing market, such as chinchillas, nutria and mink; nonpoisonous amphibians and reptiles, not including pythons, anacondas, boa constrictors, monitor lizards, iguanas, alligators, caiman, crocodiles and turtles. This section shall not apply to exhibitions authorized by and conducted in accordance with Chapter 6.08"

"Exotic animal means those animals not normally occurring in North America and animals of any species the majority of whose populations are wild."

No where else in the city code, even in Chapter 6.08, does it mention pythons or non-venomous snakes. County code only mentioned the specific snakes listed in the original post, not Ball Pythons. State law only prohibits venomous snakes.

This is TRICKY. In my opinion, this is open to interpretation to mean "yes, they are illegal" -OR- "No, they are totally legal." I'm betting you that you'd have to fight something like this because the wording and definitions are SO VAGUE. I tend to lean with you because I love bps, but an ornery ACO (animal control officer) could stick to their guns and not budge. And, honestly, you do NOT want to become a target.

[anicatgirl]

Sooo basically what I thought, not too clear (we wouldn't want clarity of law, after all). I just don't want to be one of the bad examples of reptile keepers...

[lizzy_troy]

Sooo basically what I thought, not too clear (we wouldn't want clarity of law, after all). I just don't want to be one of the bad examples of reptile keepers...

Unfortunately, you hit the nail right on the head: "we wouldn't want to clarify the law." I think ball python ownership could be fought, with a positive chance of success. I wouldn't worry about it for now. City ordinances are weird. Just keep on loving and taking care of your snake, and you'll be a great example of a reptile keeper!

[The Golem]

One has to wonder who makes up these animal control bylaws. Up here in Canada my news feed showed this story from sleepy little college town, London Ontario:

http://www.londoncommunitynews.com/n...ylaw-fangless/

Not when you’re London’s largest breeder under a city bylaw that states no one is to own or sell a snake longer than two feet.

This is bizarre to me both because 2 feet is so small, and because Canada went metric in the 70s so any bylaw should be citing meters not feet!

[lizzy_troy]

Surely they meant two METERS. that would be easier to understand. Two feet is RIDICULOUS.