Rescue in the dog house over lack of proper permit
Published 1:39 pm Thursday, October 2, 2008
SNOQUALMIE – Kim Howard has a love for animals, and she wants them to be the best they can be.
“I want to raise good canine citizens,” she said.
For more than 10 years, Howard has run an animal rescue shelter out of her small house on Fir Street in Snoqualmie that has accepted everything from dogs to baby ducks. Three Rivers Rescue is often the last resort for many animals who have overstayed their welcome at a kennel or have been dumped by an owner.
When asked how many animals have come in and out of her care, she can only guess. More than 150 were dropped off by the county last year alone, and numerous more by police and private citizens.
“I get a lot of throw-away animals,” Howard said.
Nobody seemed to care much about Howard’s operation until 2000, when she was informed that complaints about her rescue had been filed with the city. Now the city is asking her to obtain an unclassified use permit, which is required for properties containing activities that go above and beyond what has been detailed in their respective zoning.
It all seems a little unnecessary to Howard, who said the permit would lump her in with businesses such as mines and slaughterhouses. And it seems very unnecessary that it should cost about $700.
“I don’t just have that laying around,” she said.
The complaints are also confusing, because she said she has always received a lot of support for her efforts. She has a 2-inch binder filled with thank-you cards, letters and pictures of animals she has saved, enjoying their new homes.
“If there has ever been a problem, she has fixed it within 24 hours,” said neighbor Reta Lessard. “You can’t even tell it’s there.”
Howard said she doesn’t accept just any animal that is brought to her door. All animals are screened, and if she gets one that is rambunctious or just plain mean, she’ll return the animal to whomever gave it to her.
Unlike a kennel, she doesn’t give away her animals. All potential adopters are screened, with Howard making sure the animals will be inside once they are adopted. She often pays the costs of having the animal spayed or neutered.
“As a neighbor, I’ve never had any complaint about it. She does a good and wonderful thing,” said Snoqualmie Mayor Fuzzy Fletcher, who shares a back-yard fence with Howard. “But as mayor, I have to say she needs to get all the permits in place to do that wonderful job.”
There have been complaints about dogs running through neighbors’ yards while being walked, but Jeremy Fursman, who lives across the street from Howard, said most of the concern comes from seeing everyone abide by the rules, which in Howard’s case requires getting the unclassified use permit.
Fletcher agreed, and while he said the permit wasn’t cheap, it’s the responsibility of the person engaged in the unclassified activity to obtain it.
“It wouldn’t be fair for the taxpayers to shoulder all the costs of the process [for permits],” he said.
Fursman said he is also worried that the animal rescue might lower surrounding property values because it would scare some people with children to be around so many dogs. Howard typically has 6-10 dogs at the rescue at any given time, as well as other animals.
“I’m sure the dogs are well behaved 98 percent of the time, but it is that small percent that is unsettling,” Fursman said.
Howard hopes she can alleviate those concerns in the coming weeks. She will give the Snoqualmie City Council a tour of her house during its next meeting on Monday, April 8. There will also be a public hearing before the Planning Commission on April 15 about the unclassified use permit. That meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at the Police Division building, 34825 S.E. Douglas St.
“I hope a lot of the community is there so I can get the negative as well as the positive,” Howard said. “I want people to get a chance to see that I’m not just some crazy woman at the end of the street.”
You can reach Ben Cape at (425) 888-2311, or e-mail him at ben.cape@
valleyrecord.com.
