NORTH TONAWANDA, N.Y. (WKBW) — How many dogs are too many dogs in one household?
That's the issue being examined in North Tonawanda by a committee which will make recommendations to the North Tonawanda Common Council, explained City Clerk/Treasurer Matthew Parish.
There are currently no limits on dog ownership in North Tonawanda, as long as the animals are registered and properly vaccinated.
A hot summer has caused an increase in complaints about people with too many animals causing a nuisance smell.
"The aroma is not great and it is just a general concern that neighbors have issues with,"said Parish.
City Dog Control Offier Eric Salisbury tells 7 Eyewitness News he would like to see a limit of three (3) dogs per household to match what surrounding municipalities have in place.
Salisbury said complaints have come in about homes having as many as eight (8) dogs or more.
"We gotta have some teeth in our codes, so if there are too many dogs, we have an avenue to approach them on," added Alderman-at-Large Robert Pecoraro.
Pecoraro would like to see a complete dog census first to determine if there is a widespread problem or not.
Property size could be a factor taken into consideration for people with multiple dogs, said City Clerk Parish, but the reality of being a city will be a limiting factor.
"We are a city and we are constantly growing. We are not out in the country anymore," said Parish.
No final determination has been made, but this issue has been discussed for nearly two years.
The North Tonawanda Police Department, dog control officer, and elected officials plan to meet later this week to talk about the problem and try to arrive at recommendations for the North Tonawanda Common Council to consider enacting into law.
7 Eyewitness News Reporter Ed Reilly has more in the attached report.
