“No-kill animal advocates want philosophy adopted at shelter - Cumberland Times-News” plus 1 more |
| No-kill animal advocates want philosophy adopted at shelter - Cumberland Times-News Posted: 14 Jan 2011 05:00 AM PST — CUMBERLAND — No-kill advocates turned out in force at Thursday evening's Allegany County commissioner's meeting, asking the elected officials to turn the Allegany County Animal Shelter into a no-kill shelter. That decision would save the lives of many animals who might be euthanized otherwise, speakers said. The no-kill advocates asked commissioners to hire a new shelter director with a no-kill philosophy, and enforce a no-kill policy at the county shelter. The animal shelter wasn't on the commissioner's agenda, but earlier this week, the shelter board of directors voted 4-0 to reject a no-kill policy for the county-run shelter. Of the speakers during the public comment portion of the meeting, nine spoke in favor of the no-kill position and two spoke against the proposal, including a member of the shelter's board of directors. A few dozen citizens nearly filled all the seats in the county commission meeting room, and occasional applause from the audience, in response to speakers, suggested most were interested in the future of the shelter. Dick DeVore, Allegany County Emergency Services Division chief, also spoke at the meeting. He has spent much of his time running the shelter in the absence of a shelter manager. The previous manager, Camille Carrico, resigned Dec.17. The search for a new manager is continuing, DeVore said. Jodi Sweitzer presented a petition she said contained 1,100 signatures asking commissioners to hire a shelter manager with a "no-kill philosophy." Sweitzer commended the shelter's efforts to reduce the number of euthanizations over the past few months. "The number of animals being transferred to rescues is skyrocketing," she said. Frostburg resident Annie Stark said a no-kill shelter did not mean that an animal would never be euthanized, but that euthanizations would be limited to animals that were very ill or dangerous. An expert, someone who runs a successful no kill shelter, should be consulted before the shelter board, or commissioners, reject a no-kill philosophy, she said. Cumberland resident Kenneth Wilmot, however, was concerned about health, safety and the costs of a no-kill shelter. "The animal shelter is a walking time-bomb for rabies," he said. "When an animal comes into the shelter without tags, it is an unknown," he said, and could jeopardize the health and safety of volunteers working at the shelter and the community. Wilmot said thousands of stray cats and dogs in the county would tax the resources of the county if an effort were made to save all of them. "Who is going to pay for this," he said. Wilmot denied that he disliked animals when his statements drew some hissing and laughter from a few members of the audience. Advocates referred to several counties in the United States that successfully operate no-kill shelters. According to the website of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, "No-kill shelters are generally privately funded and do not accept all animals brought to them. However, once accepted, animals are never euthanized unless they are incurably sick, disabled or display extreme behavior that makes them unadoptable. The society encourages community no-kill coalitions, however, as part of their policy statement. Peggy McDaniel, a member of the shelter board, defended the board's decision. She said operating a no-kill shelter at an open-door facility would be very difficult to implement and monitor. DeVore tried to steer the discussion away from the debate on developing a no-kill shelter, and instead focused on the strides forward the shelter has made. The shelter currently has 54 cats and 28 dogs, he said, although not all are currently available for adoption. Over the last 45 days, 36 dogs and 26 cats have been adopted, he said. That compares with 130 adoptions from January to September of last year. The shelter board continues to review the euthanasia policy, and only four animals have been euthanized since Nov. 29, 2010. The shelter has also expanded its foster program, he said, in which volunteers agree to care for an animal for a limited period of time. "Euthanasia must be utilized as a last resort," DeVore said. "Common sense, support of the public and compassion will help us move forward." In addition, volunteers have logged 880 hours in the past 45 days, DeVore said. DeVore also said that the shelter had a legal responsibility to deal with aggressive and dangerous animals and needed to be "fiscally sound." Since the shelter limited euthanizations in November to allow for a policy review, veterinary expenses have totaled about $7,500, despite donations of time and medicine by veterinarians. DeVore did not say how these costs measured up to previous costs. A few speakers contended that some free services offered by a local veterinarian had been rejected. Also speaking in favor of a no-kill shelter were Peter Masloch, Ashley Stott, Laura Shelton, Kathy Stafford, Steve Gobeil, Lisa Pacelli and Darlene Chaney. Commission President Mike McKay said he was pleased with the strong public turnout. Commissioner Bill Valentine, McKay said, had been spending a great deal of time at the shelter, and would provide his input as the commission discussed the shelter's future. In related news, a local animal welfare group has been forced to cancel the Adopt-a-Pet program it's sponsored for about a decade, said McDaniel, also president of the Animal Welfare Society of Allegany County. The program utilized co-sponsors from the local business community. Advertisements ran weekly each Sunday in the Times-News highlighting adoptable pets from the Allegany County Animal Shelter. The program was canceled because neither the welfare society or shelter staff had the time and personnel to run the program and because of financial considerations, McDaniel said. "The shelter manager handled the program for us," McDaniel said, taking time for the interview while she was volunteering Thursday at the shelter. Most volunteers simply don't have the time to take on the project, since most have day jobs and other commitments, she said. The Animal Welfare Society also recently lost two long-term sponsors, one died and the other had to withdraw because of financial reasons. The society's voting membership thought the $200 a month they were devoting to the program would be better spent on their program for subsidizing spaying and neutering. "It was not an easy decision," McDaniel said. The welfare society helps pay for 250 to 350 spay and neutering operations each year, she said. The society also funds a program in schools to teach children to be responsible pet owners. The only remaining funds are spent on office and office supplies, she said. "We get $10,000 donated each year and spend about $34,000," she said. Interest earned from the society's bank account is used to fund their programs. They cannot use their principal, because if they did "we'd be out of business," she said, and no longer able to help animals on a continuing basis. Contact Matthew Bieniek at mbieniek@times-news.com This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| Guest blogger: The Homespun Philosophy of Mr. Clown Shoes - Wicked Local (blog) Posted: 23 Jan 2011 04:21 AM PST from Gregg Berman: Balance. Though I am one unbalanced dude, with a brain that swings around like a ballroom dancer with a club foot, balance is still what I look for in my life. Reducing complex factors into simplistic terms can be useful. What happened? What's happening? What's gonna happen? These three factors of existence and how we react to them determine our well being. Focus too much or too little on what happened, and you will be unbalanced. Same thing with what's gonna happen. Ultimately, what happened and what's gonna happen need to be harmonized so what's happening can be enjoyed. Each of us has a unique recipe for success. Most of us need to constantly adapt this recipe and try to improve it. The better we understand how each of the factors work and interact with our thoughts and actions, the better the chance of achieving balance. Here's a drawing of how I'd like things to work (good thoughts flowing smoothly back and forth through the past, present, and future while bad thoughts remain outside, repelled) :
This entry passed through the Full-Text RSS service — if this is your content and you're reading it on someone else's site, please read our FAQ page at fivefilters.org/content-only/faq.php |
| You are subscribed to email updates from Philosophy - Bing News To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 comments:
Post a Comment