Susanville man may lose his dogs again due to code violations

The Susanville City Council unanimously approved Resolution No. 24-6335 approving the issuance of a Nuisance Abatement Order declaring dogs owned by John Murray, 1409 Fourth St., to be a nuisance. Councilmember Russ Brown was absent.

According to the order, Murray does not have a use permit, has seven or more animals without a kennel license in violation of the city’s Municipal Code and Zoning ordinances, and some of those animals are  unlicensed and unvaccinated.

According to the order, Murray must not have any dogs at his residence, and if he does not comply by 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17, the Susanville Police Department’s Animal Control officer shall remove all dogs from the property. The order remains effective for one year.

According to the staff report by Kelly Mumper, city planner and code enforcement officer, “The City Code Enforcement Division and Police Department have received numerous complaints from property owners over the years regarding the keeping and breeding of hybrid wolf dogs on the subject property in excess of what is allowed under the Susanville Municipal Code without first obtaining a Use Permit from the Planning Department and a Commercial Kennel License from the Police Department.

“Specifically, the inspection reports and photos show that Mr. Murray has continued to keep more than six dogs at his residence without the proper dog licensing, vaccinations, use permit and kennels license.”

Murray shared many details from his life story with the council and said he came to Susanville to find a place for forget his past and move on. He said he didn’t know anyone when he came to Susanville and he got into dogs and he considers them his family.