Howard County's Hearing Examiner has denied a request from the owner of a Columbia dog daycare business to open a satellite location in Clarksville.
Elisa Kamens, who has owned Club Pooche since 2008, had requested a conditional use for a pet daycare facility on a 2.9-acre property she owns on Manor Lane, off of Clarksville Pike.
But in a decision released Jan. 12, Hearing Examiner Michele LeFaivre said Kamens' proposal sounded more like a request to open a kennel than a dog daycare.
"Ms. Kamens intends to do 'foundational work' with her canine clients: 'e-collar exercise,' crate training, self-control and learning correct behavior in a home environment set up with furniture, including a bed," LeFaivre wrote in the ruling. "She would teach dogs to behave in this environment as their owners desire. She may also take on rescue clients needing reconditioning. In dog training terminology, this type of work is called 'kenneling.'"
The county's zoning code makes a distinction between pet kenneling and daycare. According to the most recent regulations, which were updated in summer 2013 as part of the comprehensive zoning process, a "kennel" is defined as "any establishment for the overnight boarding, breeding or training of dogs or cats for which a fee is charged. Such establishments may include incidental grooming or sale of pet supplies."
According to the county's zoning regulations, a kennel must be located on a site that is 5 acres or larger.
The "pet day care facility" category is a recent addition to zoning code, also from the summer 2013 update. Pet day cares, according to the code, need only a lot size of one acre.
In her request, Kamens did not mention boarding animals overnight. A county staff report detailing her request lists the proposed business's hours of operation as 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the weekend.
Some Manor Lane residents had protested Kamens' plans, citing concerns about increased traffic from the daycare's customers and the potential for noise from barking dogs.