Township trying to take 10-year old girl's pets away -- support needed ASAP

[T-R-O-U-B-L-E]

I'm not saying this isnt a terrible thing. Yes the city should allow at least 2 hens. They make equal to or less noise than a dog. However it was written that you were not allowed to own poultry, so the people should have asked before getting chickens and the lady they talked to should not have misinformed them. Just my point of view.

 

[NorthwoodsChick]

Its hard to find a place where you can raise chickens anymore unless you own several acres of land .The city will restrict you to only a few and many require permission from your neighbors.God forbid if one of them doesn't like chickens (or you) Anyone who likes raising chickens is better off living in the county.

Seems to be a theme in society and government as a whole.

 

[Jaime918]

Seems to be a theme in society and government as a whole.

Exactly! We are in a small rural unincorporated town and they put a rezoning for animals vs. acreage in the agenda a few weeks ago and people freaked, they backed down but we have already lost several much needed farms just to the idea of it.

 

[AnnissarOmagnoli]

From personal experience, I can say that transporting a pet to Australia should not cause you any apprehension or anxiety. After all, the transportation of pets to this overseas country, located in the southern hemisphere of our planet, is almost no different from the standard transportation of animals around the world but has several limitations. Australia closely monitors from which country four-legged pets, birds, rodents, and other pets are transported. But I also recently witnessed a case where a girl had her pet taken away, allegedly for missing documents. I did not stand by and helped the girl's parents by giving them the contact of a lawyer I know from https://bsmlaw.com.au/our-services/civil-and-commercial-litigation-lawyers/, who resolved everything without any problems.

 

[McChooky]

If more people kept their chickens in their own yard there wouldn't be so many cities wanting to ban them. My neighbors chickens were running all over the neighborhood until predators & cars killed them all. I'm for chickens but people like him don't need them!

 

[Uncle Turk]

Looks like they won
https://www.wtaj.com/news/local-new...rdinance-a-win-for-10-year-old-chicken-owner/

 

[Ponypoor]

Looks like they won
https://www.wtaj.com/news/local-new...rdinance-a-win-for-10-year-old-chicken-owner/

But it stated that they no longer live in that township.

 

[Brooks_]

But it stated that they no longer live in that township.

Still a win. They got the ordinance changed.

 

[Zhevotnya]

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

 

[Red Mangrove]

If more people kept their chickens in their own yard there wouldn't be so many cities wanting to ban them. My neighbors chickens were running all over the neighborhood until predators & cars killed them all. I'm for chickens but people like him don't need them!

Personally I enjoy seeing chickens running around free and happy. It's always a pleasure seeing chickens next to the road