Barking blocks doggy day care plans
(CNS): A proposed open air doggy day care centre on Crewe Road has been blocked from opening for business as it was unable to convince planning authorities that it would be able to keep the dogs on the premises from excessive barking. The decision by the Central Planning Authority last week came amid a number of complaints from neighbours related to the noise and smell such a facility would produce in the area close to their homes. The proposal, on land owned by Dale and Beverly Banks, was tentatively named ‘The Crate Escape’.
The plan was for a 24,000sqft site to be largely open for the dogs to run around, with the only building on the land to be a 240sqft pre-fabricated shed. The applicants believe there is significant demand from owners to drop their pets for the day on their way to work and said there would be no overnight boarding of any animals.
But it was the impact during the day that had really upset some local residents who live close to the proposed site on Crewe Road, near the corner of Clarence Drive, many of whom are families that have lived in properties there for generations. With plans to have 30 to 40 dogs on the site, it was felt that would result in significant noise, especially as the dogs would not be familiar with each other.
The representatives of the land owners who would operate the business argued that the area was already relatively noisy, with planes overhead from the proximity to the airport, traffic and lots of chickens running around. They also said the Cayman Animal Hospital is located nearby, so there are other animals in the vicinity. They also claimed to be able to control the level of barking by the way they look after the dogs and said that with so much space to run around, most of the dogs would likely be asleep by lunchtime anyway.
In a statement to the CPA, the applicants said that under normal circumstances, happy dogs don’t bark, plus they would discourage any barking caused by excitement, frustration and hunger, using “arousal control protocol” and even instigate time-outs for any misbehaving mutts. Dogs would be evaluated for suitability for day care services prior to admission and refused if their barking could not be controlled by the onsite handlers. Also, they intended to have a “no play zone” in the reception area around the gate to create a “calm” entrance and exit area, which was critical to their “anti-bark programme”.
One of the CPA board members noted that his two German Shepherd dogs make so much noise in his yard that he actually feels sorry for his own neighbours. There was also the issue of the smell of the dogs’ waste, which the applicants said would not accumulate as it would be swept up at intervals during the day, double bagged and taken to the dump, with the facility washed out with bleach every evening.
One local resident who attended the CPA meeting to voice her objections said her grandparents’ house adjacent to the proposed site has no air conditioning and screen doors.
“I’m a dog lover myself, but they need to have a bit of concern for their neighbours. When dogs see other dogs they will have a good time and you are going to get the noise factor, plus the issue with poop is really not sanitary,” she said, adding that a location in a rural part of Cayman would be more suitable, rather than in the middle of a mature residential area.
Another objector said in a written submission that a doggy day care centre was “totally not acceptable to homeowners who will have to live in close proximity to barking dogs and the stench it will create. With the best intentions of the operators of this business to not create a nuisance to the neighbours, it is something that cannot be totally avoided.”
The CPA received seven letters of objection from concerned citizens, which, in addition to issues regarding noise and the smell of the dog waste, centred on the difficulties of exiting Clarence Drive during busy times of the day and the likelihood that the owners would want to have as many dogs as possible on the premises.
Category: Local News
LOL – my whole neighborhood erupts in barking when I walk my leashed dogs down the road as way too many dog owners just have their dogs tied up in their yard or roaming free and unsupervised.
Sounds like some lucky dogs just avoided being abused. Time outs?.. no play zone?.. they are dogs. You put that many dogs together and they do what they do. Resulting in frustration in the humans…. further resulting in a beating for bad behavior.
Can you tell a dog to stop barking….lol! tell people to stop yapping, same thing isnt it?
People in the area need to get a grip of themselves.
I hope they find a good place for a doggy day care. It really helps the dog owners to socialized their dogs with the other dogs. Specially dogs that are aggressive with other dogs. I did some behavior modification with reactive dogs and I was very successful with the help of the other dogs.
Dogs dont usually barks when they are playing or with another dogs. Unless they are seeking attention with the other dogs or to a person they want to play with. Dogs barks more when they are home and not too much when they are in the daycare. When dogs are home, their defense or fear drive is activated. While in the daycare, they feel safe and confortable with the place and to be with the other dogs.
A doggy daycare staff should know how to stop a dog from barking and pick up their poop emmidiately. A staff that will be on the floor watching over the dogs should be a real experience and a Pro. Someone that can control the dogs and serves as an. Expect that there will be a dog fight when they are playing. And the staff should know and read the dogs posture, behavior. If you are sending your dog to a daycare and your dog became reactive or aggressive. Dont send them back there.. just sharing and purely advice for all dog owners.
You got it wrong from the get go….first you needed Dart to have endorsed your project and stated you was going to build a 7 storey state of the art doggy care hotel with a tunnel and overpass and guarantee, you would have got rubbered stamped.
denied because a pre-fab shed means no revenue for ALT, resubmit for the same purpose and a building that needs construction and watch it go through no problem
What do the owners of the business plan to do with the dogs on rainy days.? 240 sq. ft is the size of my single car garage. SMH
Not to mention the need for shady areas on sunny days.
WWJD?
Nailed it!
He would never, ever, have used the phrase “doggy day care”.
Wow CPA turned one down? If one of their favorite developers put it in there would be no problem.
So the esteemed planning board won’t stop our most admired citizens from plowing under what’s left of this island, but bows down for some barking dogs. For christ’s sake can they at least get them to shut up my neighbors hounds. (Answer: NO)
Advice to doggie daycare people: you need to specify that you will be using more building materials in your project.
What about the owners from the house next to the West Bay Post Office and in a highly residential area the same as the article above the older people that have lived in that area for years don’t have A/C and need to have there windows open but it is impossible to do so as the home owners from the house in question are raising eligible dogs and breeding the dogs that when they get together the noise from the matting of the dogs and then the barking all day and night has been a big issue and complaints from the neighbors around the house and please don’t even bring up the smell from the dogs waste.
The CPA, Environment Health, Agriculture Dept., Police Dept. has known about the complaints and has visited the house on several occasions for the past four or five years and the heads of the Dept. really don’t care because it’s not in their back yard.
Can you imagine what the customer from the West Bay post office think when they are met with the smell of the dogs.
It’s really who you know that you can get away with issues as this isn’t it????
Yes.
This is LOL ridiculous. They live by the airport which is noisy all day.
If only it was an Arnold Palmer designed centre.
You funny.
Amazing that compared with the trucks in BT downshifting and honking melodies all through town that some dogs barking is an issue
Seems our approach of challenging Cayman Developers / Dart and the planning board is all wrong.
All we really need to mount a successful challenge is a signed letter from neighboring residents confirming that
1) noise pollution from potential pets will be deafening (contrary to public interest); and
2) waste from these pets amounts to a biological attack on me and my neighbors
Excessive barking, thought that only happened in the comment section on here!!!
Ha