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County removes dogs from Lucas Road Property

Written by Greg Hankins, Editor

Tuesday, 16 February 2010

    Residents of a one-acre property on Lucas Road near Seven Lakes surrendered at least eighteen dogs to Moore County Animal Control staffers on Tuesday, February 16, according to a information released by the county's Public Information Office late Tuesday afternoon. Another ten dogs still on the property may be surrendered at a later date the county reports.
    Though it lies outside the gates of Seven Lakes West, the Lucas Road property is located less than 200 feet from Grace Court on Beacon Ridge Country Club. Aerial photography of the lot shows it littered with junk cars; driving by, a motorist sees animals on chains mixed in among the rusting vehicles.
    Raleigh television station, WRAL-TV, alerted to the situation by Seven Lakes residents, was on the scene Tuesday when the animals were surrendered. You can see a video report on the WRAL website here .

    Conditions on the property, as well as the persistent barking of the dogs, have prompted perennial complaints from Westsiders and others concerned about the welfare of both the human and animal residents of the property. County staffers from a variety of departments have been attempting to address those problems since early 2008.
    According to the County's press release, the house on the property is in such poor condition that it could not be rehabilitated using Community Development Block Grant funds available for that purpose. Housing assistance and enforcement efforts has been further complicated by the fact that the property is owned by several heirs, not all of whom live there.
    The three elderly current residents have been allowed to live in a dilapidated recreational vehicle to avoid becoming homeless. The Planning Staff is continuing to work with the residents to apply for financial assistance to address their housing needs.

    County Animal Control has visited the property dozens of times, the county reports, and found the dogs, which numbered from fifteen to thirty at any given time, were adequately fed and watered. The Lucas Road residents were attempting to upgrade the shelter provided, according to the County's press release.
    Westside residents who were attempting to help the animals and residents — and spoke with The Times on Monday — disputed that assessment, saying the dogs were undernourished and often without water. They also noted the family had neither electricity nor running water on the property, a condition not addressed in the county's news release.
    Matters at the Lucas Road property came to a head this month, when the family was cited for a nuisance because of barking dogs. On February 12, Animal Control officers asked that the dogs be surrendered. The transfer was to have taken place on Monday, February 15, but was delayed until Tuesday due to illness. Of the eighteen dogs surrendered, the county reports, two were placed with Animal Advocates, one with Moore Humane, and the other fifteen are currently housed at the Moore County Animal Shelter.

The county's news release indicates research undertaken by the County Attorney's office has found the process of declaring a residential property a public nuisance to be difficult. But both the County Attorney and Deputy County Attorney have visited the property in order to assess potential violations of the zoning or animal control ordinance — or other factors that could result in a nuisance designation.

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