The Denver City Council listened to debate over zoning changes Monday that would allow an expansion of the overnight boarding of pets at “doggie day cares.”
Current zoning laws only allow such overnight boarding in industrial zones.
But a zoning change pushed by Councilwoman Carol Boigon would permit the overnight boarding of pets in additional business zones near residential neighborhoods.
After residents expressed concern, Boigon lost the support of Councilwoman Marcia Johnson, a key proponent of a compromise plan Boigon had brokered.
The defection forced Boigon to postpone consideration of the proposal until Dec. 18.
Residents said they feared allowing the overnight facilities in more zones would disrupt neighborhoods with noisy outdoor dog runs.
Such dog runs currently are loosely regulated and already exist throughout the city. The proposed zoning change would have restricted their use to the hours of 6:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and would have barred the outdoor runs from within 20 feet of a home.
Residents, however, still feared the dog runs would proliferate if additional overnight facilities were permitted.
Gertie Grant, a board member of the West Washington Park Neighborhood Association, said she lives near one business that boards pets and found the dog run there a nuisance.
“They still bark,” she said. “Dogs don’t whisper.”
But about six business owners who run pet-care facilities said they keep their dogs quiet.
“Our dogs are not left out unattended,” said Terri Desnica, president of the Colorado Association of Doggie Day Cares, who said current laws are driving the businesses out of the city. “They are not left alone inside or outside.”
Staff writer Christopher N. Osher can be reached at 303-954-1747 or cosher@denverpost.com.
