* WARNING: THIS IS AN UNOFFICIAL, INTRODUCTORY COPY OF THE BILL.
THE OFFICIAL COPY CONSIDERED BY THE CITY COUNCIL IS THE FIRST READER COPY.
INTRODUCTORY*
CITY OF BALTIMORE
COUNCIL BILL R
(Resolution)
Introduced by: Councilmember Curran
At the request of: Lauraville Improvement Association & the Loch Raven Improvement Association, c/o Chris Muldowney
Address: 2715 Woodsdale Avenue, Baltimore, Maryland 21214
Telephone: 410-426-2529
A RESOLUTION ENTITLED
A COUNCIL RESOLUTION concerning
Title
Baltimore City Animal Control
FOR the purpose of urgently requesting the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City to immediately provide adequate funding to the Baltimore City Bureau of Animal Control, the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc., (BARCS), and the Baltimore City Police Department to successfully address issues of animal control, cruelty to animals, and endangerment of persons by vicious animals in Baltimore City and to increase the funding in succeeding years until the funding levels are equal to those in other American cities of comparable size and demographics.
Body
Recitals
Historically, Baltimore City Animal Control has been underfunded, and consequently many issues relating to animal cruelty, animal neglect, endangerment of citizens, dog aggression, and the heinous and dangerous practice of dog fighting, a gateway activity to a drug and gun culture, have been neglected or ignored completely.
Experts in the behavioral sciences have long identified a correlation between the impaired empathy that allows persons to engage in cruelty to animals to an increased likelihood of a psychological state that leads to a danger of abuse of humans, particularly those most vulnerable, the young and the elderly.
In 2005, the City reorganized its animal shelter into the Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter, Inc., (BARCS), a non-profit organization with the specific mission of protecting animals from neglect, abuse, and exploitation, to advocate their interests and welfare, and to inspire awareness and compassion for all living things.
To effectively address issues related to animal control, the humane treatment of animals, and the enforcement of criminal and civil sanctions of persons who engage in animal cruelty or neglect, the Lauraville and Loch Raven Improvement Associations urge the City of Baltimore to move toward addressing the inadequate funding of Baltimore City Animal Control and BARCS by:
• Adding 3 to 5 additional trained Animal Control Officers in the Bureau of Animal Control this budget cycle and increasing the staff each succeeding year until an appropriate staffing level is achieved to address Baltimore's animal control and related issues.
• By funding BARCS' budget request of $290,000 that will allow for additional veterinarian staff services and the procurement of adequate supplies to provide services to alleviate the suffering of the many animals that are dumped at their door daily, many in horrible condition, to provide humane treatment for those that can be saved, and to find adoptive homes for as many as possible.
• By pledging to increase funding to the Bureau of Animal Control and BARCS until it reaches a funding level comparable to those of other American cities of similar size and demographics.
• By providing funding to train Baltimore City Police to deal with vicious dogs and incidents of animal cruelty so that the Police Department and the Bureau of Animal Control can work together to address the epidemic of cruelty and danger that uses living creatures as bait and aggressors in dog fights and weapons of intimidation in the drug trade.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF BALTIMORE, That the Mayor and City Council of Baltimore City is urgently requested to immediately provide adequate funding to the Baltimore City Bureau of Animal Control, BARCS, and the Baltimore City Police Department to successfully address issues of animal control, cruelty to animals, and endangerment of persons by vicious animals in Baltimore City and to increase the funding in succeeding years until the funding levels are equal to those in other American cities of comparable size and demographics.
AND BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution be sent to the Mayor, the President of the Lauraville Improvement Association, the President of the Loch Raven Improvement Association, the Baltimore City Health Commissioner, the Baltimore Police Commissioner, and the Mayor's Legislative Liaison to the City Council.
dlr07-1234~intro/11Apr07
ccres/dogs/nf
dlr07-1234~intro/11Apr07
- 2 -
ccres/dogs/nf