Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Heavenly Creatures

Home
New Visions
Gorham residents speak out on dog breeding facility; approval nullified for now

Gorham residents speak out on dog breeding facility; approval nullified for now

Last updated on: February 10, 2012 at 10:39 am by Joanne Brokaw

Gorham residents speak out on dog breeding facility; approval nullified for now 2012-02-10T10:39:09-05:00 Joanne Brokaw

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Site in Gorham, NY of the proposed large scale, wholesale dog breeding facility.

The Gorham Town Board opened their meeting tonight to comments from residents about the dog breeding facility proposed by Curtis and Jolene Martin. The board initially approved a special use permit last week for the couple, who currently own a commercial dog breeding facility in Seneca County. The residents and animal welfare activists from around the area responded to the news with an uproar of protests, sharing their thoughts in emails, phone calls, and across the internet.

According to MPNnow.com, 400 people attended the meeting, and 33 people spoke. But first, Gorham Town Supervisor Fred Lightfoote opened the meeting with a stern warning to those in attendance that disrespect would not be tolerated, and that law enforcement was onhand to maintain order.

He then went on to say that while initial approval was given for the project, that approval has been nullifed, and must go before the Ontario County Planning Board. In essence, that means the Martin’s proposal is halted for the time being, and any decisions by the board will likely affect not only this project but future similar projects.

I caught the Channel 10 report on the 11 PM news, where several residents spoke out against the facility and expressed concerns about noise, waste, and animal cruelty. One man remarked that residents didn’t participate in their local government budget meetings but now showed up for the dog breeding issue. “We’re more concerned about these dogs than we are surviving,” he said.

Town Board President Debbie North also commented on the number of unkind postings and libelous statements online.

For now, it looks like the residents and Town Board can take a breath while they step back to consider the wholesale dog breeding facility in light of USDA reports, information about the problem with puppy mills or commerical dog breeding issues, and what is best for the residents of their community on both sides of the issue.

And while we’re at it, the Town Board of Gorham, along with Supervisor Lightfoote and his staff, deserve a huge thank you for taking this issue seriously, and for being patient with the torrent of feedback. It can’t have been easy to have been in the national spotlight this week, or quite frankly in the crosshairs of some animal welfare advocates. They’ve been gracious and willing to hear what residents have to say.

RELATED POSTS:

Previous Post

February 8, 2012

Update on Lily and Maddison, the blind dog and her doggie guide pal

Next Post

February 9, 2012 Comment Policy for Heavenly Creatures blog

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Animal behavior Animal health Animal history Animal rescue Animal research Animals and entertainment Animals and fashion Animals and food Animals and military Animals and science Animals and the law Animals in the news Be Nice Project Bears Bees Bible verses Birds Books cats Celebrities Christianity Circus Critters Dogs Elephants Farm animals Featured Shelter Pet Guest blogger Holidays Humor Interviews Movies Music National News Nature Ocean mammals Paganism Politics Quotes Reader photos Recalls Reviews Science Space Supernatural Technology Television Uncategorized Uncategorized video Wildlife Zoo

Select a Month November 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 November 2015 May 2015 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 January 2014 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 July 2011 June 2011

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What bird did Noah release second from the ark?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A dove A raven An eagle A sparrow