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Board tables application for dog‑training school in Fairfield to allow review of conditions
Summary
A Fairfield resident's request for a special‑exception permit to operate a dog‑training facility, private school and limited boarding was discussed; the planning commission recommended approval with seven conditions but the board postponed final action to the June 9 meeting to reconcile proposed edits and written conditions.
FAIRFIELD, Va. — Rockbridge County supervisors postponed action on a special‑exception permit for a dog‑training business proposed on McClure Boulevard so staff, the applicant and the board can reconcile recommended conditions.
Cassandra V. Harding sought a special exception to operate a private school for dog training, limited group instruction and limited boarding on a 7.07‑acre property in the Walker’s Creek magisterial district. The planning commission recommended approval with seven conditions; supervisors tabled the item to June 9 after the applicant asked for broader operating parameters and the board requested time to consider edits.
Harding, who told the board she is a “multi‑certified strictly positive reinforcement, fear‑free dog trainer” and a retired nurse, said her building is insulated, climate‑controlled and designed for clients who may need mobility aids. “As a disabled person myself, training service dogs and therapy dogs is very personal to me,” Harding said. She told the board the property is fenced in multiple sections and that neighbors’ livestock and guardian dogs surround the site.
The planning commission’s recommended conditions (as presented to the board) include: substantial compliance with the submitted site plan; limits on individual day training (9 a.m.–5 p.m., up to three times per week; maximum of four dogs on site at one time, excluding owner dogs); group training limits (9 a.m.–5 p.m., up to four times per month; maximum of four dogs on site, excluding owner dogs); a restriction that training be limited to general obedience and service‑dog classes with “no steady to shot training” as stated in the packet; boarding restricted to customers of the private school and limited to no more than five consecutive nights during training; compliance with county lighting and design standards; and relocation of a gate to provide a turnaround on the Harding property.
Harding told the board that her attorney recommended broader operating parameters so she would not repeatedly have to defend informal personal use of the training building — for example, neighborhood gatherings of friends who practice with their own dogs. In response, the board said that applicants may not draft conditions unilaterally and that staff and the applicant should propose specific, reconciled language for the board to consider. The board agreed to return the matter on June 9 to review a single, consolidated set of recommended conditions.
What’s next: supervisors tabled the special‑exception application to June 9, 2025, to allow staff to draft revised language reflecting the planning commission’s recommendation and to incorporate the applicant’s clarifications or legal counsel’s suggested wording. If approved at a later meeting, conditions will limit hours, group sizes and boarding nights as specified by the planning commission unless the board modifies them.
