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North Carolina Newsletter |
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YADKIN STILL UNDER FIRE FROM
PETA: CLICK HERE TO FOLLOW THE STORY
Lindsey
Mayer <lbo43054@yahoo.com> wrote:
2 Dark Chocolate pups,
possible LabXs
http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/NC226.html love Molly There are 5 wonderful Labs in a kill shelter that still "Gasses" contact me if you would like a picture! or CLICK HERE!
Thanks! Melissa
I DO
NOT work for the shelter, I just take pictures. Since they don't do any
vetting, all dogs health background is unknown
The Johnston County Animal Control Department is located at 1320 N. Brightleaf Blvd., Smithfield, NC 27577, and is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Monday through Friday.The Pet Adoption Center is open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m.to 4:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. The phone number is 919-934-8474 and the FAX number is 919-934-0753. * * * * * * * --- Nancy Seevers <nansee@charter.net>
wrote:
The Charlotte Observer reported in the summer of 2003 that more than 80,000 dogs and cats were killed (in 2002) at publicly run shelters in the 15-county Charlotte region, according to figures compiled from animal control officials. Eight out of every 10 animals that entered a shelter in the Charlotte region were put to death. Not all counties track the age and health of the animals they kill, but many of the dogs and cats were healthy and adoptable. The regional rate of 37 animals killed per 1,000 people -- which mirrors the statewide rate --is more than double the national average, as determined by the publication Animal People. The number of homeless pets killed in the Charlotte area alone represented close to 30 percent of the dogs and cats killed throughout the state of North Carolina. Reaction from series of articles in the Charlotte Observer sparked the leadership in the state's congressional houses to form a committee that reviewed the issues of animal overpopulation throughout the state ending with the committee's recommendations that have become known as North Carolina's Pet Protection Act. One of the primary objectives of the Pet Protection Act was a bold new plan to fight the growing numbers of animals ending up at county shelters through the formation of a spay/neuter fund that would raise an estimated eight million dollars to be used to provide low cost spay/neutering for many of the state's pet owners. With the Charlotte area having such a high number of shelter pets being killed in their shelters much of that funding would be available to assist those counties most in need. The Death in Shelters Series - The series that ran in the Charlotte Observer also found that many shelters are rundown, overcrowded and don't follow the best practices recommended by national groups. More than half the counties in the Charlotte region don't require owners to license their pets, a basic step used nationwide to raise money for animal control programs. None spend public money on spaying and neutering efforts. This bill was strongly opposed by a faction of private interest groups - chiefly those consisting of a breeding consortium who opposed the ten cent per twenty pound of pet food tax that was being used to fund the spay/neuter initiative. Strong opposition also came from the sport hunting groups and by the pet food industry. Criticism focused on four major area's of misinformation. One theory waved by Virginia resident Walter Hutchens is that the numbers used by the committee were suspect therefore the best course of action would be to establish a committee to study the shelters numbers for a few years and then developing a solution from those results. Hutchens left out two issues - the numbers provided the committee were already furnished from a polling of the state's animal shelters and included data accumulated for two years. To further study the shelters for two more years would only result in the deaths of a half million more homeless pets with the citizens still not having access to the low cost spay/neuter programs that historically have proven to be most effective in turning the tide towards reducing shelter intake. Hutchens was also disingenuous in opposing the committee's recommendation on dispersal of spay/neuter funding. In lieu of the fact that Hutchens himself was NOT even a citizen of North Carolina one could question why this was an issue that required his approval in the first place. Hutchens formed an Internet group to oppose the passage of NC Pet Protection Act called NC Pet Law. Interesting one member named Carol, who is a cat breeder wrote "Those people (who support the bill) still cannot get it through their thick heads that it is not the breeder at all, but rather the ignorant, poor, or logistically impaired pet owner who does not NEUTER THEIR PET, THAT is the root of the problem. Hearing this crap about
breeders being the problem just irritates the (whatever) out of
me. Sorry for the vent, but I wish these jerks had some grasp of
reality." Yet, if the reality is that pet owners NEED to spay/neuter a
logical mind would simply ask "why then does the Hutchens group
OPPOSE a fund that would help over 100,000 pet owners spay/neuter
their pets? Of ALL the people who should Georgia has required that rescue groups be licensed in the state before being allowed to pull from a county shelter as a rescue group and the program has been highly successful in assuring top quality care and conditions for all rescue pets. It also has been successful in enforcing the state law that requires those who adopt out rescued animals to make sure they are all SPAY/NEUTERED. Opposition to the NC Pet Protection Act should not come from rescuers in the state of NC nor will it come from those most likely to benefit from this plan - the pet owners throughout the state in need of low cost spay/neuter alternatives. The committee would be wise to make sure that any excess funds left over for spay/neutering pets be handed out to the rescue community as well. The Use of Gas In North Carolina Shelters Equally disturbing is the issue that most counties in North Carolina use carbon monoxide gas chambers to kill animals at shelters, even though it's discouraged by national animal welfare groups. The Carolinas require no training for shelter workers who administer the gas, and some animals have to be gassed twice because it doesn't always kill the first time. In the Charlotte region, only two of 15 counties, Mecklenburg and Burke, use lethal injection to put down all dogs and cats. Gaston and Union counties considered a change to lethal injection following the series, but neither has made the switch. The fact is that Hutchens, through his group that opposed passage of the committee's recommendations, has gone on record as stating that he sees nothing wrong with community's who use gas as a form of disposing of surplus animals because in his opinion it is the most economical way for counties to deal with the situation caused by animal overpopulation. One would question the character of Hutchens when he dismissed the committee for failure to include provisions that would end the use of gas while also supporting gas in his home state of Virginia.
Adding in laws that would ban the use of
gas for THIS provision would only confuse the issue on how county's
would fund the changes in shelter policy's rather than focusing FIRST on
developing a solid spay/neuter program throughout the state. Hutchens
might be advised o look at the problems HIS OWN State of Virginia
has in the use of gas chambers and ack of spay/neuter programs before
sticking his ill-informed nose into North Carolina's problems
instead. Craven County Animal Control Supports Use of Gas While Opposing Spay/Neutering Also joining in supporting the use of gas is Kathryn Smith who is the officer in charge of the Craven Animal Control where over 80 percent of the county's homeless pets are killed in that county's gas chamber. Smith, who writes under the screen name of "Landshark" has voiced her opposition to spay/neutering claiming it is a violation of the pet owners rights to choose whether they spay/neuter there pets or not. The citizens and leaders of Craven County would be advised to consider the message that Smith sends out with her ambitious killing of the county's homeless pets. Many in the rescue community would prefer that Kathryn Smith step aside to allow the shelter to be run by someone who seeks to place dogs and cats into homes and NOT the county's gas chamber instead. Craven County Animal Control, under Smith's leadership, has a record of ONLY placing several pets a week that are adopted or go to rescue. Rescue groups complain that she has openly opposed sending some dogs and cats to rescue while instead loading them into the county's gas chamber instead. One rescuer wrote and told of a local woman who wanted to adopt tow kittens from the shelter only to be told the shelter was closing and to come back in the morning. When she returned in the morning Smith told her "Sorry they were killed last evening." I would question her mental state to enjoy killing an innocent animal when there is an option that would allow that animal to live. For the $300,000 that Craven County spends to fund the animal shelter that historically has been nothing more than a catch and slaughter disposal site for pets who had the misfortune of ending up under Smith's watchful eye. Fresh Air of Hope For North Carolina's Homeless Pets in 2005 The General Assembly will consider the reforms suggested by the group at the start of the next congressional year. Why the discussions will bring a fresh wave of new thinking and a positive approach towards solving North Carolina's shelter population problems not passing the provisions will not cause the state's shelter problems to disappear. The first problem lawmakers will face is a lack of information. North Carolina doesn't regulate or inspect city-and county-operated shelters, so it knows little about how they're run. "We don't have anything to go on," said Patrice Roesler with the N.C. Association of County Commissioners. Her group plans to survey counties to determine more about their shelters and animal control programs, including their euthanasia methods. Roesler said animal ontrol hasn't been a statewide concern since the early 1980s, when the state updated its animal welfare laws. So there's a lot of ground for the committee to cover. "It's been 20 years since we've really done anything," she said. Death at the Pound More than 80,000 dogs and cats were killed last year at animal shelters in the Charlotte region, The Observer reported June 29-July 1. Since then, a Charlotte City Council committee has begun studying the city's animal control bureau, and several surrounding counties have considered reforms. Charlotte's public safety committee will meet again on the issue Thursday. "It's very costly to have animals picked up and to run those shelters," Howard said. "If we could get to the root of the problem, we wouldn't have to deal with the pain or the agony." You get to the root of the problem by developing a program that encourages spay/neutering of the family pet and provides low cost options for pet owners seeking to act responsibly. Once North Carolina has established a healthy spay/neuter fund that will help lower the numbers of animals who go through the state's shelters it will be easier to address the larger concern of ending the use of gas in killing the community's homeless pets. Permission to crosspost A local (Charlotte, NC) no-kill shelter is forced to close because of re-zoning. If you can help them by taking animals (or suggesting a new place to locate), please call: TailWaggers at 704-795-1162.
http://www.petfinder.org/shelters/NC226.html
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Welcome Friends! Correspondents and Liaisons Needed! There are a myriad of positions available for many different agencies throughout the U.S. There is a great need for shelter workers and volunteers, liaisons, political activists, campaigners, publicists and press people, photographers, correspondents and, yes, transporters! Most of these positions are not, in and of themselves, demanding. Of course, if you care about animals they can become very time consuming efforts, indeed, and we appreciate the vast and varied talents of those who are doing this work -- many out of the kindness of their hearts. If you are interested in volunteering for this effort or others, we invite you to write us and let us know what you'd like to do, how often and how you like to work. We're sure to be able to find a match for you! We thank God for each and every one of you who care enough to confront almost insurmountable odds to do everything you can to change this travesty in our world, often facing your own humanity to do so, and putting your own emotions on the line to care for the voiceless among us: GODSPEED to each and every one...
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 REDWOOD-KINSTON
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 PEYTON
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