Walker County family responds to complaints about their animals

WALKER COUNTY, Georgia (WDEF)– The Walker County spokesperson says a home in the county has received SEVERAL complaints about the animals in the area. They say this life they’ve built with their animals isn’t causing any problems, but they county says that there are a few things that she needs to fix.

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A woman in #WalkerCounty says she’s received multiple complaints about her property and her animals… but she says she needs something in writing before she can address the issues. pic.twitter.com/UTchbkgT7E

— Amber Worthy (@AWorthyNews) April 12, 2018

Patty Bryant says, “we had our children, we had our careers. We raised them and we got grand-babies and great grand-babies now. And we’re empty-nesters and we thought well, we need something in our nest, something to keep us busy during the day and what better than chickens.”

Bryant says her families has several breeds of chickens, two breeds of geese, five breeds of duck, to potbelly pig’s, two turkeys and eight rabbits.

Walker County Officials say that they are violating the public nuisance ordinance.

Walker County sent us a statement Thursday saying, “our Codes Enforcement department and Sheriff’s Office have received numerous complaints from the community about this property.”

Joe Legge, with Walker County, went on saying, “codes officers have visited the property and requested the owner make an effort to thin the herd, to help address some of those complaints.”

Legge says, “the property owner appears to be in violation of several sections of the county’s Public Nuisance ordinance, specifically noise, smell and stagnant water. Also, due to the number of dogs, the property owner does not have the proper documentation needed to operate as a kennel.”

Bryant says “we’ve been getting complaints and visits from the walker county ordinance department in regards to our animals. That we have too many, they smell, our land is it large enough to hold them.”

Bryant says they haven’t received anything in writing.

“Not one single complaint in writing, no citation, now they say we are in violation of this or that ordinance, but won’t tell us which ordinance,” says Bryant, “I said if we are in violation write it out and we will comply.”

Bryant believes that they add something valuable to the community as a cool place for kids to visit, they’ve rehabilitated animals and give some a new home.

She says that people have been moving to a town where they can no longer keep their animals so they reach out to her. She says, “They say I can’t take my turkeys to town and I say well obviously now.

In one instance a woman needed her assistance and Bryant recalls her saying, “please would you take good care of them, would you take them in?” Bryant says “yeah sure. Who could say no to that.”

Bryant believes it boils down to one thing and they will keep fighting to protect the life they built.

“Shannon Whitfield doesn’t like animals and he is going to try and get rid of them.”

She says she believes Whitfield is “trying to control us when we already, in our opinion, are in control.”

Bryant says the head gets quite upset, he says I’ll call the EPA on you, I’ll make phone calls, I’ll make your life hell and I say just tell me what we’re doing wrong and will gladly comply

Bryant’s Pampered Poultry

The next meeting to address some of these issues is May 1st.