Quick Solution Unlikely for Dog Rescue Controversy in Shelby Township

It’s been just over a month since officials first told Kelley LaBonty to cease fostering dogs at her Shelby Township home, but the issue remains far from resolved.

LaBonty, who serves as president of the nonprofit Detroit Animal Welfare Group, says she has fostered dogs in her home since October 2011. In February, the president of the Forest Glen Homeowners Association brought the number of dogs in LaBonty’s care, almost a dozen including her own four, to the attention of the township’s board of trustees.

The issue at that point was liability, specifically who would be held responsible should one of the dogs get loose and injure someone in the neighborhood. For Shelby Township officials, the issue is zoning.

• See what Shelby-Utica Patch readers say about this issue.

Township Planning Director Glenn Wynn told The Detroit Free Press that the problem isn’t the number of dogs, but LaBonty’s rescue operation not being “recognized as a permitted use in a single-family neighborhood.”

LaBonty maintains that she is not running the DAWG from her home but merely fostering some of the animals in the rescue’s care at her home. In a Feb. 7 letter from the township, LaBonty was given 10 days to remove all but her own four dogs. She was advised that failure to comply would result in a formal complaint with the township attorney and possible legal action.

However, a meeting with the Planning Commission on Feb. 25 introduced a possible alternative – take the matter to the Zoning Board of Appeals.

While a trip to court cannot be ruled out, township attorney Rob Huth told The Detroit Free Press that Shelby would not take any action until the Zoning Board of Appeals had an opportunity to consider the issue.

As of Wednesday, LaBonty said she had not applied to appear before the board, but would meet with legal counsel this week to discuss the issue. The deadline to apply for the April 4 meeting was Wednesday, according to a schedule on the township’s website.

Although it is only the foster operation in her home that is currently in question, LaBonty said she worries about the ripple effect of this fight.

“There are hundreds of animals fostered in this area and 12 foster-based rescues in Macomb County alone," she said. "Thousands more animals will lose their life every year if residents are not allowed to foster them in their homes.”

LaBonty points to the high kill rates for Macomb County shelters as proof of the need for home-based foster care.

“We are trying to help our township solve the problem of the overpopulation of animals,” she adds. “We cannot continue to be oblivious to the fact that there is a serious problem in our city and the answer is not killing the animals. The answer lies in residents and township officials recognizing the problem, working together to get them homes, and in the mean time providing no kill housing.”