The usual suspects are back begging to save animal control (click here)
Nice article but the fact still remains that this is a duplicate service which is silly for us to pay for! Yes, Mary we are all animal lovers, and love to view the flora and fauna, but 90% of us realize that we do not need to pay twice for a dog catcher!
To those who complain that they will have to drive 10-27 miles to bail out their stray animal, the answer is very simple, KEEP YOUR PET ON A LEASH, INDOORS, OR IN A FENCED IN YARD! If that doesn't work, well you should have to waste your time and gasoline to get "fluffy" back, that's reality!
I call on the Board to do the right thing and remove this extra expense at their earliest convince!
Tom Ford
NO. 681
posted by Crestwood Independent at 16:47
11 Comments:
From the letters to the editor on Crestwood Leash laws.
Crestwood Leash Law For Pets & Residents
We would like to remind the Crestwood residents to please observe the leash law in our community.
On Monday evening, Sept. 28, my husband took our dog out for a walk around the block. He turned the corner and a Crestwood resident was taking out his trash. Since he was "just taking out the trash" the resident allowed his dog to run outside with him off leash. My husband was walking across the street and the loose dog charged across the street and attacked my dog. He put our dog in a sit command and stepped in front of him to control my dog and block the small dog.
The loose dog ran between his legs and bit my male dog in his groin area, ripping a half- inch tear in his groin, scratched his outer leg and punctured his other leg. Our dog is large, around 90 pounds but is very docile and is only allowed off leash in our fenced yard.
We called our wonderful vets at Kirkwood Animal Hospital and was told to bring him in immediately. Upon exam, luckily the rip in his groin was minor. They gave him a cortisone shot and put him on antibiotics for 15 days.
Please, people keep your pets safe and follow the leash laws. This could have been a tragic situation if this little dog attacked another loose dog or an aggressive dog and was bitten back. We have leash laws to keep both the animals and the residents safe.
Please be responsible pet owners.
Susan Huber
Crestwood
October 08, 2009
Seems like the right thing to do, no?
Tom Ford
"Friends of Animals has applied for 501(c)3 status in order to raise funds for the renovation and ongoing operation of the shelter, said the group's Mary Wheat. They are prepared to launch an aggressive fund-raising program, Sutton said."
They are always gonna do stuff. Why have they not done this already? Because they have no intention of doing it. They are trying to bulldoze the BOA into spending a lot of the city's hard to come by money on a duplication of services provided by the county and paid for with our tax dollars.
Their huge petition, that was going to have a majority of Crestwood residents signatures, crashed and burned with only 718 signatures (of questionable validity) that turns out to be WAY LESS THAN TEN PERCENT of Crestwood voters, and/or residents.
The only one they have won over seems to be the Mayor, who has been giving speeches with wild claims of Kirkwood, and Webster Police gunning down stray animals on sight, and blaming Grants Farm for our animal problems. (BTW these cities have denied these stories in the paper.)
Here are the basics.
We pay St Louis County tax that provides animal control.
We have also been paying double to have animal control.
Our City staff says we can not afford it.
It will cost AT LEAST $130,000 to provide this duplication of services (and we still pay the County too).
The boisterous group favoring this duplicate service, claims to have a large number of supporters, but could only get 718 (unverified) signatures on a petition.
The population of Crestwood is 11,863, and the registered voters number 9,370.
718 is SIX PERCENT of population.
718 is SEVEN POINT SEVEN PERCENT of voters.
A SUNCREST CALL poll had 39 votes:
90% eliminate animal control.
10% keep animal control.
It seems consistent that NINETY PERCENT of Crestwood wants to eliminate our duplicated animal control, and spend the money for more important things!
OK John. Not that I disagree, but I'm glad your not my accountant. 718 may be 7.66275% of the registered voters. However I'm 100% sure all 9,370 of my fellow voters were not asked to sign that petition. Are you assuming that the rest didn't want to sign it? Perhaps a petition should be circulated for those against Crestwood ran animal control. Then a more accurate number can be presented to our aldermen and mayor. After all 39 is only 0.003287% of our population and 0.004162% of our registered voters. Not to impressive to have 90% of that number.
Anymous 10:05pm,
In general, you are correct. But so am I.
All voters were not asked to sign the petition, but we don't know how many were. And, we also don't know how many of those asked said they were against it. And we don't know how many of either group would change their vote if there was an election on this matter. And, it doesn't make any difference anyway. This won't be decided by all the voters in Crestwood. Even if there were an election, typically only about a third of the voters actually vote. This is sad, as everyone SHOULD vote.
Actually all this is irrelevant, since the animal control, or not, issue will be decided by the eight aldermen. They are supposed to consider the desires, and best interest of their constituents as this will affect them.
Of course, they also will think about how their vote will influence their reelection. I think that the huge difference in all these things, including the advice of the City staff that animal control should be discontinued, will convince them to vote to stop this duplication of service, and save the City over $130,000.
John, do we have a Board with the nerve to stand up to this foolishness and VOTE to cut the funding to animal control or not?
Unfortunately we have a few on the Board who are world class weather vanes, afraid of not being liked by (pick a group.)
We need leadership (forget the Mayor, and Board president) to guide this City and show fiduciary responsibility for a change, not weather vanes for goodness sake!
Alas, being invited to the right parties by the right groups seems to be more important to them than Crestwood!
Tom Ford
Mary Wheat attempted a fund raising actvity earlier this year. I believe the fund raiser was scheduled to occur at Fletchers. The event failed. Perhaps the reliance for funds will be through grants. Not a very reliable source of stable funding.
Please remember Ms. Sutton has experience with establishing these type of organizations and could be coaching Mary Wheat.
9:40 AM blogger: "The event failed!"
"Please remember Ms. Sutton has experience with establishing these type of organizations and could be coaching Mary Wheat."
Is it possible that Mary Wheat needs a new coach?
Tom Ford
Tom,
It is strange that since both of these people are "fund raising" experts, that they have not lifted a finger to do so even now. And they were content to "live off us taxpayers" until now when the gravy train is about to jump the tracks.
John, this is typical liberal behaver, You pay for it because WE want to play with it!
They will never get off the sofa and work to collect one dime by fund raisers (flop remember,) 501C3 special interest charities, or even a grant form the Government.
Why you say would that be? Well one thing is sure the Mayor has no doubt assured them he will keep animal control (forget the will of the people,)and he backs it up with Aldermen such as Chris Pickel who will vote his way (the Mayor's) only.
The unfortunate Ladies believe him, thus no work on their part. They are going to find out the truth sooner or later, and then, well........
Tom Ford
Paying for a Crestwood Animal Control Officer is liking paying for Mehlville Fire protection AND having our our own fire dept. It's like paying the County Police for our protection and having our own Police Department.
It makes no sense.
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