By Ellen Ast
Albany Democrat-Herald | Posted: Thursday, June 7, 2007 12:00 am
SWEET HOME - Natalie Marshall and Wayne Rivera met three years ago while working together at a Lebanon pet store called Exotics, Aquatics and More.
Although the store closed four months after it opened, Marshall and Rivera have since gotten engaged and now want to start a home business under the same name.
Their plan is to keep, breed and sell several types of small exotic animals - including reptiles and mammals such as primates - through an Internet business.
They already have the basics living at their Sweet Home residence: A family of chinchillas, Sulcata tortoises and a love of non-native critters.
What they don't have yet is a permit from the city to operate a home business, as well as authorization to breed and house exotic animals needed to run such a business from their Ironwood Street home.
Marshall and Rivera applied for a permit earlier this year, and the city planning commission may decide July 2 whether to grant it.
Carol Lewis, community development director, said the applicants might want to show educational uses for the animals if they get the permit.
Marshall visited kids at the city library's summer reading program last year with her 2-year-old wallaby named JoJo.
On Monday, however, police told Marshall to take the wallaby outside city limits after the animal, a smaller, huskier version of the Australian kangaroo, escaped and was later caught downtown by Sweet Home police.
Linn County doesn't have exotic-animal ordinances.
Lewis said a visit once a year to the library is not enough to satisfy educational uses for the animals, especially since Marshall and Rivera plan to widen their collection to reptiles and primates.
"How much is enough?" Lewis said. "Is once or twice a year enough to waive the nuicance codes?"
The couple say they will house these animal in a large backyard building and surround their property with a chain-link fence.
If the city grants a permit, the couple cannot start their business until they get a federal license, which includes annual inspections and required veterinary visits.
Marshall said she didn't know it was illegal to keep exotic animals as pets inside city limits.
"He (JoJo) used to go everywhere with me," Marshall explained.