DeWitt explores dog ownership law

TOWN OF DEWITT – A proposed local law put forward by the Town of DeWitt would knock the number of dogs allowed per residence from five down to three.
A hearing for the dog ownership ordinance was held during the DeWitt Town Board’s Oct. 28 meeting but will remain open for the time being.
Town Supervisor Ed Michalenko said he advocated for the law change due to individual complaints he heard recently about dogs barking and jumping fences, a petition from one local neighborhood regarding nuisance dogs, and pictures he saw that were taken after a child was attacked in a household by a group of dogs.
“This is not an indictment of the individuals that have multiple dogs who do an excellent job caring for them,” Michalenko said. “What this does for us is it gives us a tool to use in situations where people do not properly care for multiple dogs in a single setting.”
Any current dog owner of four to five licensed dogs as of Jan. 1, 2025 would be grandfathered in and can continue housing the same dogs for as long as they’re licensed, the proposed law states. At the same time, an “Animal Day Care, Kennel or Shelter” would be defined in the town code as a facility that cares for four or more pets or domesticated animals for purposes of training, breeding, grooming or harboring, whether or not for profit.
Michalenko also cited Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) statistics reporting that the likelihood of someone being bitten by a dog increases the greater the number of dogs in a dwelling.
He added that the range of licensed dogs allowed legally in most municipalities is between two and four, so keeping the amount at three for a single property would put DeWitt right in the middle, establishing what he believes is a reasonable number ensuring safe management of pets and better harmony among neighbors.
The DeWitt Town Board did not act on the law on Oct. 28, but the meeting was opened to the public for comments.
One resident said the law is “using a sledgehammer” to deal with a problem that can be dealt with on a case-by-case basis. She also said that in the event of someone’s passing or relocation, their family members, friends and neighbors may want to step in to help by taking in their dogs, which might put them over the legal ownership limit, but for a worthy cause.
Another resident said a biting incident could happen within a household containing just one or two dogs, seconding the notion that the amendment places restrictions on responsible, law-abiding owners of multiple dogs and “handcuffs” them to people who don’t train or look after their dogs well enough.
“It could be the one bad dog owner that has one bad dog that bites someone, and now you’re penalizing the rest of us who are good dog owners,” that man said.
Hoping for the presentation of more concrete, less anecdotal data that focuses on the town itself, that resident went on to question the creation of a law in DeWitt that relies on national statistics and applies restrictions used in other municipalities.
In response to the residents that spoke, town councilors Max Ruckdeschel, Sarah Klee Hood and H. Bernard Alex went on the record to say they were against supporting the law as written, their reasoning touching on its lack of consideration for people responsibly caring for dogs and a disapproval of the number three as its cutoff.
The Town of DeWitt, which contracts with the CNY SPCA to handle any dog complaints, is asking for residents to provide commentary in writing relating to the proposed dog ownership law to [email protected].