Dogs - Zoning - Ordinances

City Commissioners: City Manager:   The purpose of this email is to let you know of a situation building in our neighborhood and to make a record of that situation.   I am   John Jenkins 425 Patterson Lane Gatlinburg, TN 37738   A family has recently returned to our neighborhood. They lived here for several years and then moved. They rented their property but the renters moved out and the owners have returned.   They are very nice people BUT…   They have dogs and they keep them outside so the entire neighborhood can enjoy them. When they lived here before, the family was on vacation and they left their dogs 5 or 6 by number in their fenced in back yard. Three Mastiffs a Labrador, a blue tick hound, a red hound and some other smaller dog. One day in June the dogs began barking around 7:30 in the morning and continued most of the day. The length of the barking was unusual but not the actual barking. When I went into my yard the dogs barked, for a while. Anyone walks by the dogs bark. When the meter readers come by the dogs barked. Any strange vehicle in the neighborhood the dogs barked. I called the Zoning department to ask if our area is zoned for a kennel. They suggested I call the police, which I did and they did not know. One of the dogs would begin barking and the others would join in feed off each other. They would turn a quiet neighborhood into one where the people could not sit outside on their deck. Other neighbors called and an officer came out. Through neighborhood rumors I understood the police said the dogs were violation due to barking and smell but who knows. Nothing changed. I live across from the dogs and I can tell you they stink. I talked to the man of the house and he said he was going to clean it up. Instead he moved. But now they are back and have brought 5 dogs with them Two Mastiffs, what looks like a lab puppy, the red tick hound and some smaller dog. So far so good but things will change. The dogs are not aggressive just noisy and smelly and the larger dogs quite intimidating during those rare times they are running the neighborhood. If a tourist walks their dog these dogs bark until they go away.   The dogs are seldom out of their fenced area but when they do get out some of them like to come to my yard and leave their crap. They walk in our flowers, come up on the deck and leave their muddy paw prints. Before they moved,  one week while I was mowing my yard I found 7 treasures. I called the police just to let them know.   This morning I was in my house and a neighbor up the hill from us called to ask me if those dogs were the ones barking. I checked and they were.   Before the family moved you could smell the dog urine and feces from their property. Once the smell was so acidy I stopped mowing and sniffed the drains to see if the neighbor was draining the urine into the storm sewer but the smell was not coming from the storm drains. Just in the air. A veterinarian could tell you how many gallons of urine and pounds of feces get dumped every day in their yard. Once in the dirt it will take a long time for the smell to dissipate.   It is fascinating we are zoned long term rental and cannot rent overnight but we apparently are zoned for urine and feces aroma and a house with a backyard filled with fenced in areas containing at times barking dogs. Much like a kennel. The smell has not arisen at this time but it will later this summer.   That is enough for now. This is not a request for you to do anything. I will forward this note as a reminder later this summer when the smell has returned and the barking begins.   Dog owners are so thoughtful when they leave home they leave their pets outside so everyone can enjoy them.   Regards, John Jenkins 865-803-8179 cell Gatlinburg, TN Email: jrjenki@yahoo.com  Website: http://www.greenbriersolutions.com  Blog: http://littlepigeon.blogspot.com/ "Put on your own oxygen mask before assisting others." ---Flight Attendants around the world