Every vote matters.
The City of Gaithersburg is hosting a "pet of the year" contest. This year there are five chickens in the contest. Yes, you may vote for all five!
Click the following to: vote for chickens in Gaithersburg
It would be poetic justice if a chicken could win pet of the year.
City council member Cathy Drzyzgula (cdrzyzgula@gaithersburgmd.gov) phoned us to say: "Chickens are not pets." She further rationalized: "Just like horses. People may be fond of a horse but a horse can never be a pet."
Cathy firmly believes that taxpayer dollars should be spent by hiring officers to constantly parole the city looking for any animal that looks anything like a rooster. No crowing, no nuisance, just take the animal away. In her own words: "I don't want any citizen to have to phone in a complaint, the matter should be taking care of automatically and efficiently."
It happened to us. Our home never had any crowing yet the city kept trying to take our birds away because they "saw" a rooster. Our neighbors loved our birds, so what is the problem? Listen to what our neighbors said at city hall
In 2010 Cathy changed the law to ban all roosters, immediately creating a loophole so that the city can harass citizens who are not disturbing the peace. Prior to 2010 we had a reasonable law that said it was illegal to keep a crowing rooster within 200 feet of a neighbor. Why did Cathy feel compelled to change that law? Some citizens vehemently dislike chickens so Cathy enacted this new ban to pretend to allow chickens.
Click on the chicken's photo and then log into Facebook to "like" them. With your help, they can become pet of the year.
Chicken named "Caramel" on top of the mountain (a knee)
Chicken named "Sophie" tiptoeing through the tulips
Chicken named "Cookie" looking for a hug
Chicken named "Melody" singing in garden
Chicken named "Snowy" wearing diaper
Vote for Chickens: Click to Vote in pet photo contest
Sign the Petition: Click to Sign
Hens are becoming widely accepted in urban settings. That was a big step. To do this, most cities outright banned roosters to pass the "pro-hen" ordinance. Now that we've seen the benefits of keeping hens, removing the rooster ban is the next step.
The City of Gaithersburg might remove their rooster ban. This will not happen without your voice. The mayor has already said the ban is not necessary. With your help, the council may reconsider their stance. If this happens, it will set a shining example for other cities to follow. Watch our progress on this issue.
We owe much to hens and roosters, they make the traditional American breakfast of bacon and eggs possible. Let's give them a good life. It's payback time!
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