STOP San Diego County From Limiting Roosters!

We, the undersigned, oppose the San Diego County Rooster Ordinance proposed by the San Diego County Deptartment of Animal Services.

Although the intentions of this ordinance are good, the ordinance itself is too general and not specific enough to actually target cockfighters and allow those of us raising roosters for legal reasons to continue our beloved hobby. Rooster rescues are not exempt under this ordinance since they do not employ humane officers, as required under the exemption section of the ordinance. Also, although 4H and FFA organizations are exempt under the ordinance, the majority of 4H and FFA kids purchase their birds from hobby breeders who will be eliminated if this ordinance goes into affect. And what about the kids who don't go to a school that offers 4H and FFA? Are they going to have their roosters taken from them simply because they don't have the luxury of being a part of a 4H or FFA program? There are also 100's of people around the county that raise roosters for their own personal consumption who will no longer be allowed to do so under this new ordinance.

The ordinance does not define what type of fines are associated with being found in posession of more than the allotted number of birds or what will happen to the birds. Are birds seized and subsequently euthanized? Will they allow the owner time to find homes for the birds? Also, who's going to enforce this new ordinance? Are we going to have to employ more animal control officers to "patrol" and alert to the presence of someone who might or might not have more roosters than they are allowed to have or are we going to have to rely on tips from annoyed neighbors and the general public? Will people who currently have over the limit, acording to the new ordinance, have to surrender their birds or will they be grandfathered in and allowed to stay? Is the county going to reimuburse the breeders and hobbyists who are loosing out on $100's of dollars worth of birds under the new ordinance? Will they allow people to purcahse a breeder's license in order to keep breeding rare and endangered breeds of fowl such as the Cylon Junglefowl? And, if these birds are going to be seized and euthanized in the same manner that the Department of Animal Services usually deals with cock fighting roosters, who's going to pay for the increase of pentobarbital needed to euthanize the roosters?

Thank you for your time and understanding. We hope that you'll take our words into consideration and understand the importance of maintaining the rights of San Diego County residents.