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What Beartooth Humane Alliance can do and can’t do –
and what you can do to help
~ Carbon County News
October 26, 2008 ~
In a word, “Yes!” Since
the Beartooth Humane Alliance had our origins six years
ago, we’ve heard from residents that we need an animal
control program, like those in operation in most
American communities.
We receive frequent calls
about dogs running loose, dog packs, feral cat colonies,
dangerous dogs, animals hit by cars, and other problems.
Sometimes, injuries result from these cases.
Here are just a few actual examples of
calls we’ve received:
“There is a dog in my field that looks
like he’s been shot. Can you come and get him.”
“There’s a stray dog (or cat) on my
porch. Can you come and get him?”
“There’s a dog that’s been hit by a car
in the middle of 212. Can you come and get him?”
“There’s a dog running in and out of
traffic on Main Street. Can you come and get him?”
“There’s a bunch of cats fighting,
howling, and spraying my house. Can you come and get
them?”
BHA cannot respond to
these cases; we can only refer the callers to the
sheriff or police, who may or may not be able to
respond, depending on their resources and priorities at
that moment.
What CAN we do?
Everything we’ve been doing in our short history. Our
Operation Nip and Tuck spay-neuter clinics have
surgically sterilized 2,305 dogs and cats over the past
six years. Our clinic in September sterilized only 261
dogs and cats, compared to 537 in 2007. This decrease
suggests that we’re turning the corner on pet
overpopulation in Carbon County. Now we’re making real
headway in reducing the numbers of unwanted litters that
are born only to become a nuisance to people and to
suffer lives of misery because there are not enough
homes for them all.
We’ve provided temporary
foster homes and found permanent homes for 66 homeless
animals. We’ve taken 166 lost/found pet calls and put
out email alerts about these animals. We’ve given
presentations to every school child in the county on how
to avoid dog bites. We’ve established productive working
relationships with the sheriff’s and police departments
in responding to animal problems, including seven cases
of neglect or cruelty. We sponsored the attendance of
two county law enforcement officers at a workshop on
cruelty to equines; these officers are now trained to
make a professional assessment of a horse’s condition.
We’ve done all this with
the generous financial support of our community and
thousands of hours contributed by dedicated volunteers.
But as much as we are
able to do, there are some things we cannot do. We are
not a municipal animal control agency. We are not
equipped to respond to animal control situations such as
dangerous animals, injured animals, or dogs running in
traffic. We have no law enforcement authority, so we
cannot issue citations or seize animals.
At this time, in fact,
there is no government agency or program in Carbon
County dedicated to meeting animal control needs.
Residents tell us they are frustrated with having
nowhere to turn.
BHA has asked our county
and municipal governments to cooperate in establishing
an animal services program that could be operated
jointly. The different jurisdictions would need to
coordinate logistics, but they would have the advantage
of sharing the costs.
What’s more, such a
program could easily start small and grow as required. A
trained and equipped officer could resolve many of the
individual complaints immediately while gathering
information on what further measures may be needed.
Local officials have told
us that they are concerned about residents’ problems
with pet animals. But they cannot consider putting
public resources into animal services unless they have a
clear indication that the public wants and is willing to
support such services.
AND THAT’S HOW YOU CAN
HELP. If you believe our county and its communities need
to establish an animal services program, please make
your voice heard. Please let your local government
officials – mayor, council representative, county
commissioner – know your thoughts. If you’ve experienced
animal problems, it’s important that you let your
government officials know how these problems have
affected you and your family.
If
our county and municipal officials get a clear
message that residents want animal services, and these
officials decide to cooperate on a program, BHA stands
ready to help. We can, for example, provide information
on how other communities organize and pay for their
services.
If there is a program in
place, we can work on a short-term solution for those
animals that must be picked up and housed. We can
explore the questions that must be answered about
building an animal shelter, such as the best location.
Importantly, we can address the question of how to pay
for the ongoing operation of a shelter.
We urge our local
government officials to launch an animal services
program to help residents, provide humane solutions for
the animals, and prepare for future needs as Carbon
County grows. Please let your government officials know
your views!
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