Avalon Expands Noisy Animal Ban : Bite of Law Worse Than Bark of Dog (or Parrot)

In rural Santa Catalina Island, buffalo, wild boars and goats roam freely. In the sky above, bald eagles soar majestically.

But in the island’s quaint city of Avalon, if your dog barks too loudly--or your parrot squawks too much--you could face up to six months in jail and a $500 fine.

The city’s ban on noisy animals and fowl was extended on Tuesday to creatures riding in vehicles.

The amendment to the Avalon Municipal Code was made because of an increasing problem of pet owners carrying their dogs in the bed of pickup trucks and the dog’s growls frightening island visitors, according to Gregor Milne, 65, a board member of the Catalina Island Chamber of Commerce, who asked for the amendment.

“They are beautiful dogs but they love to bark,” said Milne, a 17-year resident of Avalon who owns the Seacrest Inn. “My concern is for the enjoyment of our guests. The dogs have a tendency often to frighten our visitors. They bark almost into the ears of the pedestrians on the sidewalks.”

Neva Jennings, president of the Avalon Humane Society Inc., agreed that barking dogs in pickup trucks and open golf carts--residents’ main mode of transportation--was getting out of hand.

“Not only were some people allowing their dogs to bark,” she said, “but some were encouraging their dogs to bark.”

She said that in the past there have even been complaints about a noisy parrot from a woman who spends summers on the island. As a result, the owner keeps the bird indoors when the woman is in town.