Anyone done a petition to their county government?

[Guest WoobiesMom]

Ok, in addition to my decision to collect info on the breeder and broker and write a letter to the owner of the local pet store that opened in my town, I would like to get a petition going to ask our county government to pass an ordinance prohibiting the retail sale of cats and dogs in pet stores. There aren't that many in our county that do sell dogs and cats, most work with local rescues and highlight cats for adoption and have the adoption events on the weekends. But of the ones that do sell, there's always those word-of-mouth grapevine stories of sick and dying puppies.

 

I have no idea where to start or how to go about presenting it to our Board of Supervisors. Has anyone done or participated in anything like this? My daughter has lots of friends who are willing to help and are already spreading the message not to buy from pet stores and to adopt instead, I think they could get their parents, other friends, etc. to sign, but how do you set up a table, collect signatures, present it, etc.? This is my first foray into something like this. Thanks for any help you can lend!

[IronHorse]

How to Start a Petition to Get Legislation on a Ballot

[Eileen Stein]

Before going the petition/initiative route, I would just call the office of my Supervisor and ask for a meeting with him/her. If you don't feel comfortable doing that, you could write a letter asking him/her to sponsor legislation and explaining why, giving background on puppymills, impulse purchases, shelter relinquishments, etc. See if you can interest a Supervisor in introducing the measure. They are supposed to represent you, and they need causes and accomplishments to persuade the voters to re-elect them next time around. You could do research to find jurisdictions that have such laws, and send along a copy of their law, but that's not strictly necessary -- the Supervisor can ask one of the Board's legislative assistants to draft something if s/he is persuaded that it's a good idea and wants to get behind it. If you don't get a response to your letter, I would then call asking for a meeting to discuss your proposal.

 

I think it's great that you're pursuing this. Let us know how it goes.

[IronHorse]

I was thinking this Michael Vick situation that has so much attention on it right now will be a positive thing for your efforts to gain support for your cause.

The plight of dogs is going to be a hot topic in the spotlight of your community and alot of people would be sympathetic and receptive to positive change as far as how animals are treated.

[jdarling]

I think a meeting with your local representative is a great idea. I wanted to pursue legislation that would prohobit people from driving with their dogs loose in the bed of their trucks, and I ended up having a meeting with my local rep. She told me that to try to put legislation out there about dogs would not get much attention, since it's still legal in the state of Idaho to do it with children. Beyond that, she also brought me up to date on what pet legislation is currently being lobbied, and what is in the works. Saved me a lot of time, effort and energy.

 

Jodi