Before the soldier deployed last fall, Adam Carroll asked his father to take care of his two part-dachshund part-poodle dogs until he returns. Henry Carroll already had three small dogs of his own.
Cumberland County authorities say Carroll has too many dogs and is violating a county law and that some of the pets have to go.
Carroll will appear Thursday at a special zoning board hearing, asking inspectors to make an exception to a county ordinance that could force Carroll to choose between a shelter and someone else to take care of his dogs. Or even pay a $500 daily penalty.
I'm surprised there was ever a law restricting anybody from watching a soldier's dogs, I'm glad its dogs and not children," Carroll said.
Earlier this year, after several neighbors complained about the barking dogs, county inspectors sent Carroll a letter saying he is violating a county ordinance that prohibits more than three dogs on residential property and he has to get rid of two of the dogs.
He admits they can be a little noisy sometimes. And says he talked with his son in Iraq this week about the dilemma.
"He's not happy about it, but he wants me to keep the dogs, bottom line that's what I am going to do," Carroll said.
He plans to ask for a zoning variance Thursday night, saying he owns three dogs but is temporally taking care of his son's two pets.
However, he says if his plea is rejected he will not give away his son's pets, but two of his own dogs. He's says it's a shame.
"The message is one thing is it doesn't help the fighting soldier to worry about his dog when he has got to worry about everything else around him to worry about in the back of his head about Daddy and my dogs," Carroll said.
He tried only letting two or three of the dogs out in the yard at the time and one of his neighbors says the barking isn't as bad now as it has been.
Ironically this is a zoning issue; the county's animal control law allows residents up to eight dogs.
