In Portland, Oregon we too have a nonprofit that provides free neighbor mediation services which includes pet issues, but as Stephanie mentioned, it only works when you have two people wiling to come to the table sort out their conflict. As a former volunteer for this group, I found that when things have gotten very bad between the parties, the likelihood of resolution through mediation is slim, however, if the parties are open to mediation, it really can resolve problems in a way that code violations cannot.
Stephanie, I really like the idea you described regarding amending your local animal control ordinance and would love to see how you organization is approaching it. I formerly worked for city government and recognize the inherent inequalities of penalties for code violations, especially in places like Portland where the system is complaint based therefore benefiting the most resourced and vocal individuals.
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Adelia Hwang
ACCD
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Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2021 08:39 PM
From: Augusta Farley
Subject: Community Intervention?
Hi, Stephanie,
YES! Pls share what you are working on. It sounds promising.
Augusta
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Augusta Farley
Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2021 05:43 PM
From: stephanie kendrick
Subject: Community Intervention?
Aloha Augusta. We have long referred nuisance complainants to a local nonprofit that offers free or low-fee mediation services, but we find people generally do not want to talk to their neighbors, they want us to "fix" the issue. So we are looking at amending our local animal ordinance so that a complainant would have to pursue mediation first. We would only investigate if mediation failed or the party who was the subject of the complaint refused to participate in mediation. Our draft is a work in progress, but I have some language from other jurisdictions if you want me to email that to you.
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Steph Kendrick
Hawaiian Humane Society
Original Message:
Sent: 06-14-2021 04:38 AM
From: Augusta Farley
Subject: Community Intervention?
Hi, folks,
Someone reached out to me with a query about how to solve community disputes re neighbors and their pets. We know that talking to neighbors about their pets is one piece of advice, but we're looking for an alternative to policing/ACOs when tensions are a bit high already. Has anyone used a trained community mediator when there are complaints of loose or barking dogs, for example? How would you start with that idea?
Do you have other ideas before escalating to code violations? This is our chance to de-escalate community tension and help people keep pets in their homes.
Augusta Farley
#EducationandTraining
#FieldServicesandPublicSafety*
#Diversity,Equity,InclusionandJustice
#PeopleManagement(includingVolunteerIntegration)
#ReturntoHome(LostPetReunification)
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Augusta Farley
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