Crisis point

Dog dumping, bad economy play into shelter woes

  • Animal Control Officer checks for a microchip on a stray dog brought to the shelter.
    Animal Control Officer checks for a microchip on a stray dog brought to the shelter.
  • Poster instructing that adapting a dog to a new home takes time.
    Poster instructing that adapting a dog to a new home takes time.

    By Carolyn Reid

     

    BUTLER — When the Pendleton County Animal Shelter posted on Facebook that it was “on the verge of making harsh choices…,” a number of people reacted, assuming the worst at the no-kill shelter.

    But Animal Control Officer John Bloomfield insists that was not the plan; instead, he says, he was saying he was worried about where the dogs were going to go.

    Shelter capacity had overflowed with 28 dogs. Dogs already were in rooms not set up to hold animals on a long-term basis.

    In spite of suggestions by the Pendleton County Fiscal Court in this situation, Bloomfield said the only times he would consider putting an animal down is if it is too ill to be cured or if the dog is vicious.

    After an area television station ran a story about the shelter overcrowding and “harsh choices,” 11 dogs were adopted within 24 hours, and more have been adopted since, but Bloomfield said he wants to be clear that can, and often does, turn around in a heartbeat.

    During an interview with the Falmouth Outlook last week, Bloomfield said he was expecting three or four dogs to be surrendered. At that time, the shelter was holding 17 dogs. During the interview, another dog was brought in.

    The dog, a heeler, was friendly and had a collar, very obviously a loved dog, and he hoped a share on Facebook would bring in the owner because he did not have a microchip. That was the first thing Bloomfield checked as the dog came in.

    So why did the shelter hit the point of desperation last week? The answers are as numerous as the shelter population at that time, but the reasons usually fall into a few general categories. Many of those are surrender, but, of course, some are not.

     

    CRISIS FACTORS

    • THE ECONOMY — For all the fluffy loving pets can bring, they are not cheap. Pets are often brought to the shelter because of the expenses have overrun the owners’ budgets, especially after a job loss or some other economic step-down.

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    Shelter, continues on Page 3A