City commission considers limit on pets

How many pets should Holton residents be allowed to keep at their homes?

That’s the question that mem­bers of the Holton City Commis­sion are looking into now after a member of the commission re­viewed ordinances from other cities in Kansas limiting the num­ber of dogs and/or cats that may be kept in a household inside the city limits.

At the present time, Holton city ordinances do not limit the number of dogs and/or cats that may be kept at a residence in the city, but at least two Holton residents voiced concerns over the city limiting the number of dogs, cats and other pets they keep at their homes at the commis­sion’s regular meeting on Monday. After some discussion on the mat­ter, commissioners voted to table it until their next meeting, set for Monday, April 21.

The question of how many pets may be kept in a household in Holton was first approached at the commission’s March 17 meeting, when commissioner Clara Lovvorn requested the city draft an ordi­nance limiting the number of dogs that can be kept at a residence within the city limits to three.

Commissioners on Monday agreed to consider adding cats to any ordinance limiting pets after commissioner Marilyn Watkins noted that city codes do not limit the number of cats that may be kept and that she did not want to see cats getting a “free ride” in city codes, especially when some Holton residents are trying to bring the city’s feral cat population un­der control.

Holton resident Theodore Criqui met with commissioners to discuss the matter, noting that his wife shows dogs for hobby and as a re­sult, there are usually between nine and 15 dogs of mostly small or mid-sized breeds at their home, many of which belong to other people. Criqui said that he and his wife have worked to keep the dogs under control, adding that most of his neighbors, save one, have not complained.

One of Criqui’s neighbors, com­missioner Tim Schlodder, verified Criqui’s claim that Criqui’s wife is gone “every weekend” at dog shows and that he did not have any complaints about the dogs being kept at Criqui’s home. Others, however, voiced concerns with the keeping of that many dogs at resi­dences within the city.

“I can’t imagine having a neigh­bor who has nine dogs,” Watkins said. “If I have a house with one dog, and my neighbor has nine, I would be in here (at City Hall) in a heartbeat.”

Commissioner Eric Bjelland said that while he recognized the Criquis’ efforts to keep the dogs under control and the “passion” that Criqui’s wife had in showing dogs, maintaining “peace and con­sideration” with neighbors is “non-negotiable.”

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