N.C. officials ‘researching’ definition of a kennel

Update on Henry Carroll, of Fayetteville, N.C., the father caring for his overseas soldier son’s two dogs and is getting static from county officials, who claim he is running a kennel (as detailed here April 17) ---

Steve Sbraccia, reporter at WNCN-TV, the NBC outlet in Raleigh, N.C., informs Grumpy Editor that, after a meeting, Cumberland County Board of Adjustment officials now say they need more time to research the situation and no dogs will be removed from Carroll’s premises for the time being.

County officials decided to defer action after the county attorney said he’d need more time to clarify issues among several county agencies, adds Sbraccia.

The controversy is over what constitutes a kennel.  Carroll, 45, an Army veteran disabled by a heart condition, is taking care of two dogs left behind by his son, with the 101st Airborne Division in Iraq until December.  He said officials told him he is running a kennel, since with his own three dogs, five under one roof are too many.

But it turns out county officials are fuzzy on the definition of a kennel, giving Carroll several different answers when he asked the county to clarify the term.  One ordinance defines a kennel as any place where eight or more dogs or cats are fed, sheltered and watered.  Another document placed the figure at four.

(Grumpy Editor defines a kennel as a commercial establishment where dogs or cats are bred, raised, trained, or boarded --- not quite what is happening at Carroll’s house.)

So, now, Carroll waits for the next public hearing.

With his son eight months from returning home to claim his pets, chances are, the county just may take that much time to come up with the right answer in defining a kennel.