MARK WAITE / PVT Eileen Hart-Crawford carries a sign on her front and back with her message protesting a zoning bill on animal kennels and sanctuaries during a speech before the Pahrump Regional Planning Commission Wednesday. Advertisement

Animal owners again forced a Nye County board to back down from approving an ordinance governing animals this week.

The Pahrump Regional Planning Commission voted Wednesday to establish an advisory board to make recommendations on zoning animal kennels rather than pass an ordinance. Nye County Commissioners will now consider the ordinance at 8:30 a.m. Wednesday and they may or may not adopt the RPC recommendation.

Last week, animal owners persuaded the Nye County Commission to reject a revised animal control ordinance that wasn't zoning related.

The zoning ordinance before the RPC came up as a result of complaints over barking dogs at the New Leash on Life kennel, which recently relocated to a residential lot on Nye Road in the northwestern part of Pahrump Valley. The owner of New Leash on Life said the proposed regulations could drive her and other animal advocates underground.

The proposed zoning ordinance would require 2,000 square feet per animal and a minimum of 10 acres to operate a kennel, animal sanctuary, animal rescue operation, pet hotel or pet day care facility.

The zoning ordinance would also require adequate water, feed, posting the contact information of the person responsible for the animals in a conspicuous place, licensing and vaccinations for animals over four months, fencing high enough to prevent animals from harming people over the top, clean and sanitary facilities, landscaping as a buffer and require keeping dogs indoors at night.

Many of the same opponents who showed up in front of county commissioners addressed the RPC Wednesday. Animal owner Yvonne Smith exclaimed, "I'm getting tired of coming to meetings complaining about this. You guys are piling things up on us."

Cheryl Beeman, Nye County interim planning director, said planners went through animal ordinances throughout the state and outlined some of those conditions for this ordinance. The 10-acre minimum size would allow 217 animals, she said.

"That's a substantial amount of animals that staff felt based on other ordinances throughout the State of Nevada could be adequately taken care of by animal shelters, animal rescue operations," Beeman said.

Nye County, after a howl of protest, decided not to regulate the number of animals people may own in drafting the 2004 master zoning plan.

RPC Chairman Charles Dupre said the ordinance proposed Wednesday would only regulate people involved in commercial operations.

"We do not have any regulations on how many animals a private person can have, unless you move into the business aspect," he said.

But Nye County Commissioner Patricia Cox said it's unrealistic to put a 10 acre minimum size on operation of a kennel or animal sanctuary.

"Trying to go out and buy 10 acres today is not going to happen for a non-profit rescue operation. I'm just concerned where all of these animals are going to go if there's no one there to take care of them," Cox said.

The commissioner noted many licensees, like New Leash on Life, only have temporary kennel permits that won't be grandfathered in under the regulations.

Beeman said the county has received a lot of complaints about noise and smell, pushing these businesses out to larger properties in town would allow a greater buffer area and less protest from neighbors.

Eileen Hart-Crawford, owner of K-9 Kastle Bed and Bone, said she trained shelter dogs that are rescued.

"I know we need rules and regulations and I'd like to see some of those but we need education," she said. "Where is animal control if there is a license given?"

Dave Corso, a disabled Vietnam veteran, was worried about his 11 service dogs.

Diane Davis, operator of a horse rescue service with 35 horses, said county commissioners just approved 4,000-square-foot minimum lot sizes for humans in the Focus Property Group development. "Are we going to limit it to only two human beings on that property?" she asked.

Audra Leigh said the non-profit animal organizations need to be grandfathered into the regulations.

Denise Davis, manager of New Leash on Life, said her neighborhood is full of barking dogs, not just her kennels.

"There was a campaign started to get rid of us by bombarding commissioners with e-mails and phone calls. The rest is public record," Davis said.

However she said a suggestion by Nye County Facilities Manager Bob Jones to lend her facility a county-owned building was rejected. New Leash on Life was denied a kennel permit, but Davis said it's not a kennel but an animal rescue service.

"I'm open for help from the community and the county commissioners. A building of any kind would've been fantastic," she said.

Bobbi Klocker said she's an individual rescue person. The ordinance was ambiguous, she said. Klocker also thought the regulations would drive people underground.

Paul Newell, who operates a save-a-pet sanctuary, said there are no definitions of how the individuals are using the animals, which led to talk of forming a committee. A neighbor who filed a court suit against his sanctuary on Bannavitch Street was found to be walking up to his property at 3 a.m. with a flashlight, he said.

"The room you are in is approximately 40 feet by 80 feet. By definition, that isn't large enough for two dogs of any size," Newell said.

Kelly Caracci said she inquired with the county planning department and animal control before she moved to Pahrump last November with her wolf sanctuary.

"I asked them if there were any regulations I needed to make animals legal here and they said you're fine," Caracci said. "Animals are being killed because of human stupidity. All we're trying to do is make a difference."

Cox said fellow Commissioner Joni Eastley was pushing for the new zoning ordinance. Eastley wasn't at the RPC meeting.

"There's a lot of issues that need to be addressed. I have a lot of concerns with it but I think we need to address it before we have a bunch of kennels that move into residences of one and a quarter acres," Cox said.

"The real issue is how many animals are you allowed to have per acre before people start complaining?"

When she said only the irresponsible people cause the problems, RPC member Mark Kimball suggested, "The responsible people can help us write an ordinance to get rid of the irresponsible people."