I'm hoping the BYC "flock" can show some support for a sweet little girl battling College Township, PA for her right to keep her beloved pet hens. It takes a special kind of cruelty to rip a 10-year-old girl's pets away from her during a pandemic, but that's exactly what the bullies in the township office are hell-bent on doing to poor Maeve Elliot and her family, based on one of the most ridiculous interpretations of an ordinance I've ever seen -- the zoning officer apparently considers
any vegetable garden or pet hen to be operating a "farm" in a residential area.
If you could spare some time, Maeve's family has
created a petition to township officials here, and they also have a Facebook page,
"Save Maeve's Side-Eyed Queens." They need all the support and input they can get right now, especially from other chicken owners. They're also
encouraging respectful messages to the township urging them to update/clarify their ordinances instead of bullying a 10 year old girl, who did her research before getting the birds and was told
by a township councilwoman that hens were legal pets. Here's the full, sad story, from the Centre Daily Times:
If you have "good" health insurance, you could likely persuade a psychiatrist, (or a free, licensed "counselor" from your local municipal mental health association,) to write a letter stating that these chickens are
essential to maintaining your daughter's sense of
well-being and her continuing growth into adulthood. You might even point out that only recently, just the mere threat of losing her chickens has caused her
undue stress, anxiety, and
sleeplessness, as well as a precipitous decline in her
intellectual performance at school! (Essentially, the therapist will be "
certifying" the chickens as "
support" animals,
crucial to your daughter's physical and mental health!
I'm a 100% combat-disabled veteran, and the former seems to be working for me. You might also point out that all across the U.S., cities, counties, villages, and townships, (that are keeping up with modern trends,) are adopting
new ordinances that permit residents to raise "backyard" chickens. (Although they may have restrictions as to the number of hens, as well as "outlawing" roosters.) You also may wish to investigate the "
Right to Farm Act." (If you need it, I can even provide you with a "sample" letter.) Also, there just might be a sympathetic attorney willing to take on your daughter's case, (for free,) on a "
pro bono" basis. (In other words, for all the "free publicity" he or she may receive by representing your daughter against the bureaucrats that are wasting
your tax dollars by
bullying a 10-year-old child? (Who says "you can't fight city hall...?!
With every good wish, I remain,
Zhevotnya
