October 4, 2009

Holland Charter Township

353 North 120^th Avenue

Holland, MI

49424

Planning Commission:

TLC Chow Rescue is applying for Special Use Of A Home Occupation approval of our home Chow Chow Rescue business. We have a large room in the lower section that is used for storage it is less then 20% of the homes total area. We would like to use this area for our dog rescue business. We have portable crates in this area we use to house the rescued unwanted Chow Chow dogs pulled from local, state wide and out of state animal shelters. The crates are for the Chows to use at will when they are looking for quiet time.

TLC Chow Rescue Home Business has been in operation for three years saving unwanted Chow Chows. To date we have saved 90 unwanted and abandoned Chows. Most are pulled from Harbor Humane Society in West Olive and Vector Control in Muskegon. We have saved Chows from as far away as the Gulf and East Coast states. Chows in shelters many times do not make it to the adoption floor as they are deemed unadoptable then euthanized. It is even more critical for the pets in Gratiot County. If our rescue does not take these unwanted Chows they are sold to research. This is also true for other unwanted pets; pets that are not adopted or rescued are sold to research. It is a fate worse then death. Rescues are their only hope.

TLC Chow Rescue is a federally approved 501(c3) non-profit organization with written Standard Operating Procedures and Budgets. Justification for allowing a rescue business in the township is included as enclosures from two local businesses, Board of Directors, Harbor Humane Society and Doctor Jim Bader of Mapleview Animal Hospital. Nationally, from American Humane Society. Our neighbors support our business of saving unwanted pets we hope the Planning Commission will too. We are not just a family that wants to help a few dogs we are a business. We report to a Board of Directors as you report to the township citizens.

Disapproving our request will have a devastating impact on unwanted Chows in Michigan, they will be euthanized. It will also negatively affect many local businesses in our community. The pets we save require medical care, rehabilitation, training, food and other items that support community businesses such as office, and general pet supplies. Please do not make us put our home up for sale to move to agricultural property. There are already ten or more homes in our neighborhood that are for sale or in foreclosure. Let us run our business from our home to save unwanted pets and support our community. We have provided the township security in knowing that three complaints from neighbors in one year and our onsite rescue business will be terminated.

We are extraordinarily passionate about our rescue business and work very hard at the balance of rescue and neighbors. Having had up to 15 adult Chows onsite with no complaints in regard to our rescue business being run from our home by neighbors. We have since placed more stringent limits on onsite rescues reducing the maximum number to eight. When we first started the rescue we knew there was ordnance but did not know, through admitted ignorance that it was four pets total. We thought it was four cats and four dogs. We always considered the rescue dogs as being in transit / transition and did not count them in the total number of pets. Recently learning it is four pets per household total our cats have been re-homed and over limit rescue dogs have moved to fellow rescues and friends who own show dogs that had available kennels. This was done to meet the pet limit ordnance. It was done with a feeling of great personal loss and heartache.

Every day of every week we spend four hours visiting these pets that are offsite but still in our care. We spend this time in travel to Spring Lake and other locations in the county feeding, working on rehabilitation and of course cuddle time with these now stressed pets. We fully accept the responsibility for our actions and ignorance. This daily travel is impacting or budget, we are now using funds that were to be used on pet care for gas to get to the remote pet locations. It is also affecting the quality of the training and rehabilitation time we are able to spend with each pet in rescue. This means pets are in rescue longer not allowing a timely turnover making room for the next pet in need. It is hoped that the Home Occupation will be approved allowing our rescue business to achieve our mission of saving unwanted pets.

We want to make sure we are meeting the intent of the ordnance, Though it was written in 1982 and we feel it is out of date and should be eliminated or amended to allow registered pet rescues to function in the township. We have provided documentation written for TLC Chow Rescue from the American Humane Society that discuses why this ordnance as written is not successful at reducing pet populations. In addition we did inquire about the number of pet complaint calls to the township and were quoted, 30 to 35 per year. With a population of 28,911 in 2000 you can see there is a very small percentage of complaints. As we move in to the “New Normal” in Holland Charter Township shouldn’t we be looking for ways to improve conditions for unwanted pets? Instead of a cost line item on the township budget make it a source of revenue and like dog license have rescues pay a reasonable fee to be a legal rescue in the township. Do keep in mind every dollar you take form rescue for fees takes away from our mission of saving unwanted pets.