RE: 'Neighbors at odds over a herpetoculture business' permit application' [Village News 7/18/19]

Dear Mr. Pack,

I would like to offer some insight and another perspective to your above-noted article. I am a friend of Rommie Huntington and his family. I have visited their home on numerous occasions and had the pleasure of “touring” Huntington’s property and viewing firsthand his care of reptiles and amphibians.

Huntington is extremely conscientious and takes excellent care of all the “critters” in his care. I have always found the reptiles, amphibians as well as his own personal animals, to be clean and well fed. Furthermore, I have never found there to be an odor coming from any of the areas where they are kept. And, 90% of these critters are extremely small – even the Russian tortoise. Huntington’s reptiles do not bark at 4 a.m., kill other animals or run loose on county streets as many of the poor animals who are dumped in this area are forced to do. I think the complainer should worry about those issues first.

As Huntington stated, he is in the process of obtaining the required permit which he did not realize he needed until one person complained. Once obtained, I hope this is the end of this issue.

Furthermore, many of us have moved to this area for the pleasure of being able to live rurally and use our land agriculturally. How sad that someone feels they need to complain about a neighbor who is doing just that.

Joan V. Saunders