Opperation: Save the Chickens - a Success!

We've had our girls now for a little over a year - the feathery ones - and they are our pets and we love them.  A 'dear' neighbor and her adult children are generally looking for things to complain about and chose our yard and chickens so thus we became probably the first in our neighborhood to have to get a permit.

I went through the same process someone wanting to have 'dangerous or exotic animals' has to.  For 3 chickens.  Paid my $35 application fee, sent our rooster off to Grandma and Grandpa's house, had 3 men come over to move our coop to the middle of the yard, and went through a load of paperwork.  Paperwork which included a siteplan with all measurements of our property and the coop and where it sits in our yard.  It also included printing self adhesive address labels for 60 of our closest friends houses (note the sarcasm, I knew maybe 1/4 of those households), and sent in those, 60 envelopes, and 60 stamps.  The city then sent those 60 households notices of our chicken's hearing so they could come and object if they wish.
Which brings us to tonight.  Our thug chicken's hearing.  I was nervous going in even though we have met all the code, but even more nervous when our 'classy' neighbors showed up.  I gave a good speech telling how these chickens are our pets, our friends, and how they teach the kids responsibility.  I also mentioned how we maintain them regularly.
Well, our friendly neighbors went up and get this, her complaint was that her dogs bark at the chickens.  That they're a bird killing breed and they bark a lot.  SHE complained about that!  You'd think that would have been our complaint.  Then her adult scary looking trailer park son came up with his SLR camera that had pictures of our backyard!  This thug took pictures of our backyard!  What an invasion of privacy!

Anyway, the city council took it to a vote and they all quickly approved it.  I was very pleased with some of their comments and acceptance too.  Things like we have as much right to chickens as someone does to a dog, and my favorite, 'where are the other 4 neighbors around your property?' (meaning why aren't they complaining). 
We still have to have an inspector come and see our coop but it's regulation, and won't be a problem.  So nice to have that over.   Things I'm sure will be more awkward than ever with those neighbors, and I still hate how regulated the ordinances are regarding backyard chickens, but at least we're legal and the city is on our side.