Zoning Violation Dropped Against GoDog; Excessive Barking Case to Come
A rooftop camera view of the GoDog business on W. 20th Street, showing the close proximity of the business to multiple residences. (Courtesy: Kosin Ru)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WDEF)- The latest chapter in the dispute between a Chattanooga Southside neighborhood and a dog kennel business unfolded today.
GoDog was set to face a zoning citation on Thursday.
This was in addition to the ongoing case over excessive barking brought forth by neighbors of the business.
The citation had been issued in May by the city’s Land Development Office because they believed GoDog was providing outdoor animal care, which requires a special permit.
It had been based off of videos taken by neighbors like this one showing employees taking dogs outside to use the restroom.
GoDog contended they were not in violation.
Ben Eberdt, a co-owner of GoDog, said, “Our staff has not been instructed not to ever use that area, flat out, they should not be back there.”
Judge Sherry Paty decided to toss out the citation.
Judge Paty said, “Having an employee take one dog at a time out to relieve itself is not outdoor activity. Now somebody else might disagree with that.”
One of the main disputes between the neighborhood and GoDog is exactly of the rear of the facility is outside.
The neighborhood association contends that both the yard and a rear area they refer to as a tent should both be considered part of the outside and not usable.
GoDog sees that part of their structure as the inside of the building.
Eberdt said, “We do not plan to do any outdoor care for pets.”
There was also
a dispute between attorneys over sharing of video materials, which were contained on a 200 megabyte flash drive.
Neighbors say that taking this amount of video to document the noise is necessary.
One neighbor. Kosin Ru, “I have not slept, I have been processing data everyday, I don’t fall asleep until like 4 am in the morning, and then I get woken up again by the barking.”
When we went by on Thursday afternoon, we were to hear the dogs who were not in the backyard and presumably inside, all the way from outside on the sidewalk behind the property.
Nick: The barking violation case was supposed to be heard today, but that hearing has been pushed back to June 27
th.
