Westport selectmen call for effective animal registry

By Bruce Burdett
Posted 10/24/19

Whatever form it takes, this Keeping of Animals Registry needs to be strong and it needs to be effective.

That was the message from several on the Board of Selectmen last week during a session …

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Westport selectmen call for effective animal registry

Posted

WESTPORT — Whatever form it takes, this Keeping of Animals Registry needs to be strong and it needs to be effective.

That was the message from several on the Board of Selectmen last week during a session with Board of Health Chairman Phil Weinberg and Agricultural Commission Chairman Ray Raposa.

Mr. Weinberg described proposed changes made since the initial plan was lambasted by farmers in its initial hearing.

I appreciate that, Selectman Chairwoman Shana Shufelt said, but “we spent a lot of time on that Animal Action Committee talking through very facet of every instant that our town comes into contact with animals.

“And one of the things that was very clear to me … is that we, as a community, are expected to know where the animals are and we are expected to inspect them … We don’t have any way for anyone to tell us where they are,” she said. “We are required (by the state) to inspect your property but you’re not required to tell us that you have animals there.”

“I want to personally express how important it is that we have some registry of these sites because we are failing in our duty to our citizens and failing in our responsibility to inspect these place because we don’t know where they are.

Selectman Brian Valcourt said he agrees wholeheartedly.

“It has nothing to do with stepping on people’s rights, it’s absolutely a public safety issue,” he said.

Firefighters responding to a barn fire or police responding to some other emergency “need to know if there is livestock on that property, where they are, how many there are” and what kind they are — horses, cattle, goats … “They will fight a fire a certain way if they know there are souls inside.”

“For people to yell and squeal as much as they have about it trampling on their rights, an invasion of privacy … I’m sorry, I have to register my dog, I have to do a lot of things to have animals in this town. I don’t see how this is any different.”

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