INSIDE Residents celebrate historic marker for Central High School > page 6
Volume 66 Number 45 • November 18, 2021
BOS votes against rule change on dogs chasing poultry County code now allows bird owners to use lethal force against dogs, state code not as strict
By Roslyn Ryan Editor
Goochland’s Board of Supervisors has voted against a change to the county code that would prevent property owners from killing a dog that is chasing poultry.
The move comes after several cases of dogs being shot received widespread media attention, including that of Pearl, a mastiff that was shot after being found killing chickens in a Goochland property owner’s chicken pen (the dog survived the shooting and was featured in a recent Gazette
story about the incident). Earlier this year, a Laurel resident’s dog was shot and killed as it was running toward a flock of ducks on a property in Goochland. In both cases the poultry owners were considered justified in using lethal means to protect their prop-
Allen sworn in as District 2 School Board representative
erty, since the county ordinance currently states that dogs may be killed in Goochland for both chasing and killing livestock and poultry. According to Goochland Deputy Commonwealth’s Attorney Kalli see Dogs > 2
County awaiting engineers’ report on pipe problem Public Utilities director calls rupture that led to sewage spill surprising given pipe’s age By Roslyn Ryan Editor
Contributed photo
Goochland’s new District 2 School Board representative Angela Allen, here with her husband Philip and daughter Bayleigh, took the oath of office on Nov. 8 at the Goochland School Board office. Allen won a special election on Nov. 2 to fill the seat left vacant by the death of William Quarles last February. For more on Allen’s swearing-in ceremony, see page 3.
While a headline-making sewage spill that occurred in Goochland in late July was quickly addressed and contained, county leaders continue to work on a plan to avoid any such incidents in the future. The July 27 incident, which made headlines across the region and led to a health advisory being issued for all water activities between Goochland and Richmond, involved the rupture of a 48-inch force main pipe coming from the Eastern Goochland Pump Station at 12320 Patterson Ave. The break was discovered about three hours after it occurred, but not before around 300,000 gallons of raw sewage bound for treatment plants in Henrico and Richmond was spilled directly into Tuckahoe Creek. With area residents and visitors barred from enjoying the water, the county was left to clean up the mess and see Pipe > 2