‘Put me to sleep, not my dogs’ Politicians round
THE woman who runs a centre for large dog breeds has been told to get rid of a dozen of her animals “by whatever means necessary”. But Sharon Farrington has a
clear message for council en- forcement officers: “Theywould have to euthanise me first.” Sharon has 11 rescue dogs at
her centre in Ringlestone Road, Hollingbourne, as well as eight of her own dogs. But she faces heartbreak after Maidstone Council insisted she could keep a maximum of only six. Sharon, who runs the eight-
acre set-up as a non-profit or- ganisation, was in tears as she explained her dilemma. The very dogs, whose lives she has saved by taking them from res- cue centres, would almost cer- tainly be put to sleep if she were forced to give them up. But she insisted: “No, it’s not an option. They
are going nowhere. If they went, there’s a 95% chance they would be euthanised. None of them deserves it. They have been let down by society once, we will not let them down again.” A 14-day deadline imposed on Sharon was due
to expire as the Downs Mail went to press, but she stressed: “The dogs are going nowhere.” The centre has a team of 24 volunteers, includ-
ing walkers. “A lot of volunteers come from the village and the parish council uses our services for their dog show,” explained Sharon, who has run the centre at Hollingbourne for nine years, and before that in Dartford. Sean Aldridge, who helps Sharon manage the
on J8 development KCC member Cllr Jenny Whittle says there is a uni- fied political groundswell against proposed new devel- opment on M20 junction 8. Maidstone Council’s draft
Sharon Farrington, with bull mastiff Teddy, at her eight-acre dog centre in Hollingbourne
operation, denied the number of dogs had in- creased over recent years. He said all the dogs are neutered, fully vacci-
nated, micro-chipped and professionally assessed before rehoming options are considered. “It’s all about the welfare and safety of people
and of the dogs.Until they are ready they will not be rehomed.We have to make sure we get the cor- rect homes for them,” he added. Meanwhile, Sharon said: “We want to work
with the council so that we can get it right. We will do everything in our power to comply – apart from reducing the number of dogs.” Sharon is currently seeking permission to build
new kennels but council planners want her to apply for business use.
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Core Strategy, which has been out for consultation, recommends the area to ac- commodate around 11 hectares of employment land. But Cllr Whittle says local county and borough coun- cillors, as well as MP Hugh Robertson, are vehemently against the idea. She said: “I want to protect the area from creeping development and increased traffic prob- lems in nearby villages like Leeds, Broomfield and Ul- combe. Eleven hectares could easily turn into much more. If J8 is developed, the possibility of getting the KIG land [north of Bearsted] ear- marked as an Area of Out- standing Natural Beauty will be weakened.”
MYSTERY surrounds the sudden closure of the well- used hand car wash in Ash- ford Road, just to the west of J8. Cllr Whittle said it was a hot topic at Thurn- ham Parish Council, but there was no explanation for its demise.
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