Tag: animals

Bundy Lot Meeting

By golly I hate meetings, but you wouldn’t know that because I keep attending them.
These are my quick points to keep from rambling. The rambling will be in another post:

* Office of Property Management (OPM) won’t be handling how the land will be used. It will be Park and Rec’s problem.

*There is approximately 37,000 sq ft in the building.

*OPM will have a clearer assessment of the building’s parking needs in 30 days.

*OPM Director stated that she was, “not trying to over park anything.”

*The land transfer from the Federal to the District government is expected to go through sometime this fall.

*After several promises of other locations, the DC government settled on the Bundy School as a location for the multidisciplinary team response to child abuse in 2004.

*Prior to Home Rule in 1973, DC school land was owned by a mix of the municipal body and the federal government, so the assumption that the lot belonged to the DC government was a natural error.

*(not from the meeting) Up until recently the DC government had no clue as to what land it owned, best illustrated in the case of vacant residential properties.

*Si, from MVSQ neighborhood association stated that we welcome Safe Shores and (okay memory fuzzy) as a neighbor? hoping they will be a good neighbor? Regardless, we welcome Safe Shores, and her comment got a good round of applause from the pro-parking and pro-green space folks.

*Martin of the CCCA neighborhood association mentioned there are plans in the works for playgrounds/parks (didn’t write this down) at Scott-Montgomery and NJ and O.**

*The proposal for a dog park was pushed forward by a group, not the ANC.

*When the land transfer occurs then Parks & Rec can evaluate the dog park application.

Now if there is anything factually wrong with my notes, please inform me with comments. No anonymous comments, those are deleted at whim.

**It will be interesting to see how the proposed people parks/ playgrounds get used. There was play equipment in the park near the other Northwest Co-Op here in the TC. However, no parent in their right mind would let their kids play on it because of the bad adult behavior in and around that equipment. That’s changing, but still more adults, hang out in that area than kids.

Tonight! The Big Bundy Meeting

The image shown is a suggestion posted by a Mr. E. Smith where there is parking close to the Bundy building and a greenspace on the P Street side. I like it.
The meeting regarding the proposed parking lot is tonight (July 9, 2009) at 7pm at the Scott Montgomery Elementary School (421 P Street NW).
I got the flier today regarding the meeting. I do have some criticism of it, but keep in mind I am pro-dog park. One it doesn’t mention the dog park idea at all. It just mentions greenspace. I understand why this was probably done, but full disclosure may be the best thing in the long run. Last criticism is the mention of shootings near Bundy Park, considering all the other factors in that general vicinity, I fail to see how it links up with problem. Otherwise there are wonderful and very valid points, such as the 600sf of building space to 1 parking spot code, meaning only 25 spaces are needed and pointing out that the 400 block of P is deserted and needs eyes and feet.
Also contact Eleanor Holmes Norton about this and express you concern as this involves a federal land transfer.

Lost Logan Cat

I don’t often post about lost pets and got this plea.

Hello. I, too, am anticipating the fourth here in our neighborhood: my cat is missing and the 4th is not a good time for a lost cat (cats are abused/hurt with firecrackers, loud noises make them run even further from their home location, etc.). Can everyone here on these blogs, Mari, please post info about my cat on other blogs and websites you know of, in addition to telling/emailing your friends, neighbors, community groups, churches, libraries, park area, etc., in order to spread the awareness of my missing cat, and be on the lookout in our neighborhoods–especially on the 4th with all the celebrations going on (and the shenanigans that could involve abusing cats). btw, my cat is VERY friendly, so he could easily be grabbed and abused. 8(. fyi, I live at 12th and Q; I can be reached ANYTIME (any sightings) at 2/ 683-0130 cell (email mariannalafollette at yahoo com). You can find more info and pictures on www.thumpercat.webs.com; also, there’s a dc craigslist notice, http://washingtondc.craigslist.org/doc/laf/1244678823.html. You can tell people about my site and refer them to the craigslist notice, btw, for easy, quick posts, and email headsup–and verbally tell people, too. ALSO, there is a reward, btw. Thanks for your comments about the 4th this weekend, Mari. Cheers, Marianna

(edited to deal with spambots)

Also considering the insensitive & cruel comments I saw on DCist regarding Molly the dog (plus the fact it’s a holiday weekend and I don’t want to spend too much time filtering) comments are closed.

Dead cat

found in the rain, on the sidewalk at the corner of NJ and Q St on the Ward 2 side of the street, so don’t walk your dogs over there.

Yes, I called the city’s 311 number.
No, nobody answered because I found the tuxedo kitty after 4:30pm, when phone calls go straight to a machine.
Yes, I called animal control. They don’t do dead. I was told I should call DPW.
At this point, I gave up. I’ll file a report which someone will get to it when they get to it.

Chic-Keens

I’m going to put on Slim Gaillard’s Chicken Rhythm while I type this…. imagine a song only of chicken noises.
Jimbo several days ago sent me an article about hipsters challenging city ordanances to have chickens. For the mighty and all knowing Jimbo knows of my love of chickens, live chickens. Then today in the Post’s Home Section, “Hot Chicks: Legal or Not, Chickens Are the Chic New Backyard Addition,” which just demands I write about chickens here.
The article confirms my suspcion that yes, the District of Columbia government is unwelcoming to urban agriculture. It would have been nice to hear from the Department of Health, not just the DCRA because in other juristictions that’s the department that holds sway over these things. If there is a group of District residents fighting to overturn these laws, point me in their direction, I wanna join.
Keeping in mind that it is not legal to have chickens (neither is pot, but I smell it in my alley) in the District, here are some sites to take a look at:
Backyard Chickens– Check out their forums where people talk about their chickens and other poultry, post pictures, and discuss local chicken ordinances.
The City Chicken Project in NYC.
Small Scale Poultry Housing from the Virigina Extention.
The City Chicken– Seattle Chicken raisin’.
And check out the Stealth Chicken Coop at My Pet Chicken.

Yeah, I’ve been thinking about chickens for a good while.

Chickens in the City II

A follow up to Chickens in the City.
I found some language that looks like backyard chickens would be illegal in the District. In the “District of Columbia Municipal Regulations for Animal Control” (PDF)in sections 902 and 903 the language seems to say no fowl and they’re not too keen on pigeons either. 902.7 (a) states regarding a coop, “The proposed location is not within fifty feet (50 ft.) of any building used for human habitation;” and (b) says, “The proposed location is not within two hundred and fifty feet (250 ft.) of any property line or, if this is not the case, the applicant has furnished to the Director with the written consents of all householders and owners of property located within one hundred feet (100 ft.) of the boundaries of the premises upon which fowl are to be kept, and within the same square.” Sounds like the language for dogs parks in that by placing high barriers you essentially make them illegal.
It also looks like keeping bees is illegal too.
I consider those regulations unjust.

Chickens in the City

I woke up this morning (cue blues riff), and heard a report on WAMU saying that “Officials in the mayor’s office say there is currently no law prohibiting raising chickens within city limits if residents follow guidelines on proper animal care and shelter.”
As I remember, I thought there were laws on the books that in one way or another say no to chickens. Just to make sure I checked The City Chicken, which according to it’s chicken law page says, “Washington D.C. Housing chickens here violates health laws and is not legal.”
Then I checked the online DC Code, plugging in Chicken, poultry and fowl. DC ST § 8-1808, says, “(d) No person shall change the natural color of a baby chicken, duckling, other fowl or rabbit.” and “(f) No person shall sell or offer for sale a baby chicken, duckling, other fowl, or rabbit that has had its natural color changed.” and more importantly:

(h)(1) Except as provided in this subsection, no person shall import into the District, possess, display, offer for sale, trade, barter, exchange, or adoption, or give as a household pet any living member of the animal kingdom including those born or raised in captivity, except the following: domestic dogs (excluding hybrids with wolves, coyotes, or jackals), domestic cats (excluding hybrids with ocelots or margays), domesticated rodents and rabbits, captive-bred species of common cage birds, nonpoisonous snakes, fish, and turtles, traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes, and racing pigeons (when kept in compliance with permit requirements).

As I read that, I don’t interpret chickens or quail or ducks or any other fowl one may want to raise in the city as a ‘common caged bird’. And if I want pigeons, or squab, they’d have to be racing pigeons and have a permit, issued by what agency I don’t know.
So far with my limited knowledge it looks like chickens aren’t permitted, nor are they illegal.

We had this problem before

Different street, different dog, but same problem and I can’t for the life of me remember how it was resolved.
This week a pit bull bolted out of a residence and attacked another dog on the street, as reported on the TruxtonCircle.org discussion board. I remember years ago (gawd I’m getting old) on another street nearby the same thing. A pit bull attacked Jolly, a very slow doting old beagle. The pit bull had attacked other dogs and there was much online chatter of what was to be done. The problem went away, but I can’t remember the process of resolving the problem. Anyone on R Street remember

Hey Tree Rats

…despite what the Washington Post wrote about there being no acorns, there are are acorns on Rhode Island Avenue, between 7th and 6th Streets. I also could have sworn that my feet crushed some acorns elsewhere in the hood. So Shaw squirrels rejoice, you will still be able to continue your idiotic pursuits of climbing trees, half eating nuts and tossing them aside to dig up my beets and destroy them. Stupid tree rats.

Ricky Raccoon Spotted

I went out into the backyard to dump something in the composter when I heard a noise. I saw something climbing up the tree in the alley. At first I thought it was the white-faced cat I saw climbing decks and fences earlier this morning, but this cat had a gray-brown coat. Then I thought to myself, there aren’t any gray-brown cats in our alley. The critter turned it’s face to me and it was a raccoon!
Yelling “Shoo-shoo shoo, nasty creature. Go away,” is pointless.