Townsfolk Face Fight Over Cats and Dogs

Reuters ^ | Reuters

[Old Phone Man]

SALT LAKE CITY (Reuters) - Animal lovers and lawmakers face a dog and cat fight over how many pets residents may own at the same time in the small Utah town of Provo, officials said on Wednesday.

The current law allows residents to own up to two dogs or two cats at the same time but not a dog and cat together.

Provo resident Susan Sewell said her children had picked out a kitten from a local animal shelter, but burst into tears when they were turned down because the family already owned too many pets.

"My daughter fell in love with this little white kitten and was holding it in her hands," Sewell said. "I just wanted to adopt a cat and they said I couldn't because I already had a cat and a dog."

Provo City Council Chairman Dave Knecht, who owns a golden retriever and used to have a cat, said "two of each species is reasonable." He believes the law was enacted to help animal control officers.

"Having two of each is not necessarily a problem," said Knecht, who has proposed allowing people to own two cats and two dogs.

He knows many people who already have two dogs and two cats and the law is not always enforced as it should be.

"I want to find out what the public wants," Knecht said, "and have reasonable rules reflect reality."

According to Knecht, the Provo City Council will address the pet issue on Dec. 7 and vote on whether to change the law.

Sewell says her children are anxiously awaiting the outcome. "The children keep asking if the law has been changed yet." she said.

[Old Phone Man]

"I want to find out what the public wants," Knecht said, "and have reasonable rules reflect reality."

Wow, what the public wants is to be left alone...

We have ONE dog and FIVE cats, so I guess that makes us BAD PEOPLE...

[patton]

I dunno - how are the cats prepared?

[Don W]

I'm in a similar position here: we have 4 dogs, 3 tarantulas, 2 birds and a cat, not to mention the pair of wild squirrels in the backyard.

I must be some kind of evildoer. I'm just glad I don't live in Provo.

[lizma]

Let me guess. Provo is a liberal bastion.

[proudofthesouth]

At one time I owned 26 dogs. Of course I also had the room (I lived out in the country) and the money to keep them penned up, fed and well. If they aren't disturbing the peace, are friendly, and not neglected, its NOBODY'S DAMN BUSINESS how many animals I have!

[martin_fierro]

Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.

From forth the fatal loins of these two foes
A pair of star-cross'd lovers take their life;
Whose misadventured piteous overthrows
Do with their death bury their parents' strife.

The fearful passage of their death-mark'd love,
And the continuance of their parents' rage,
Which, but their children's end, nought could remove,
Is now the two hours' traffic of our stage;
The which if you with patient ears attend,
What here shall miss, our toil shall strive to mend.

[WestVirginiaRebel]

They're afraid of...human sacrifice, dogs and cats living together, mass hysteria!

[Old Phone Man]

I've heard tarantulas are generally peaceful. I saw one once when I was vacationing in the Yucatan Peninsula, and it wanted nothing to do with humanoids -- it was scuttling away as fast as it could go.

[Old Phone Man]

Awesome photo!

[Ciexyz]

Romeo and Juliet bump.

[jigsaw]

I use the term Blue Cities, not Blue States. PA is red except for Philly, Pgh & Erie.

How about Blue Dress Cities ?

[NCjim]

[AngrySpud]

You subject your dog to FIVE cats? You truly are a bad, bad man.

[orionblamblam]

[Texas Eagle]

That's a dumb law. What if one of your wives owns a dog and the other one owns a cat? How do they decide which wife has to give up her pet?

[eccentric]

Our Kansas town had a similar 'law.' Very intrusive. I moved to a different town.

Towns should base their laws on public health, not a councilman's opinion.

[Huntress]

Hehehe.

[Roses0508]

Another place I'll never move. I'm at 3 cats and one dog.

[srm913]

"Let me guess. Provo is a liberal bastion."

Far from it, actually; Bush won there by huge margins.
I'm a Mormon from Kansas and used to attend Brigham Young University, which is located in Provo. Some of the town's more bizarre laws are knee-jerk overreactions to the large college-age population. It's strange, really. The residents have a love-hate relationship with the students, which I'm sure is the case with all college towns, and pass some restrictive laws in response.