Posted on: Monday, November 18, 2002

Pet-noise calls may go to Animal Care

By Treena Shapiro
Advertiser Staff Writer

Nonprofit animal rights organizations could begin handling complaints about barking dogs and crowing roosters to take the burden off police officers, who began responding to animal nuisance calls in August.

The Animal Care Foundation has been working with the Hawai'i Game Breeders Association to develop a plan for volunteers from both groups to respond to the calls formerly handled by the Hawaiian Humane Society, according to City Councilwoman Ann Kobayashi.

The Humane Society stopped handling animal nuisance complaints because the society was not given a $80,000 increase on its $1.6 million contract, Kobayashi said. "Since we were doing budget cuts, we didn't give it to them," she said, adding that the society occupies 11 acres provided by the city for $1 a year.

Kobayashi has met with the groups to try to relieve police officers of the responsibility, which requires the officer to witness 10 minutes of continuous barking or 30 minutes of intermittent barking to make an assessment.

The Police Department is already understaffed and underpaid, she said. "To lay this on them is just too much."

Kobayashi said she will meet with the city's corporation counsel or the Police Department to find out if there is a way to legally have 911 calls transferred to the Animal Care Foundation, which would then dispatch neighborhood volunteers to investigate the complaint.

"They'll try to find out why the animal is barking or crowing and try to work with the owner to solve the problem," she said.

The group has already started working on an educational program for volunteers and pet owners.

The Animal Care Foundation will be given a six-month trial to provide the service on a voluntary basis. However, when the Humane Society's contract comes up again, Kobayashi said it is "very possible" the volunteer group may be given a portion of the animal control contract.

"We need to find someone who can do it," she said.

The Animal Care Foundation could not be reached for comment.

Correction: The Animal Care Foundation is an animal rights organization. Because of a reporter’s error, a previous version of this story incorrectly described the nature of the organization.