Making owners responsible for their pets

Along with the rest of the country, the Humane Society is experiencing a down turn in funding. Because of this we will have to reduce our payroll, and figure out a way to earn more to keep our shelter open. We are reducing our dogs handled with the new dog warden agency taking in more dogs. This has helped us, but we are concerned about the numbers that the dog warden is taking in compared to the adoptions. Many dogs are in grave danger.

We must find a way to make dog and cat owners responsible for their animals. Afterall, if every citizen took his responsibility to his animals seriously, there would be no need for Humane Societies or dog wardens. The public has been taught incorrectly that they can just give over their responsibility of animal ownership to the County or an animal welfare group, usually with no great sense of conscience at all.

A recent ad in the Lima News under free pets reads--- paraphrasing--" puppies free= please come get them before they have to go to the shelter." News alert----- if you have allowed your female dog to get pregnant and produce a litter of puppies, you are the problem and should not be able to just casually give that responsibility to another. Get real--- there are low cost spay and neuter clinics, or take your female to the nearest vet and get her spayed. You are the source of the problem which results in millions of great and healthy dogs and cats getting killed each year in shelters and dog pounds. This is so maddening.

Let's all go on strike and refuse to euthanize any more animals until the city, county, and state governments pass legislation concerning domestic animals that will put teeth into the problem. Let them find the room to house them or make the decision to euthanize them. Perhaps if there was no place to conveniently dump an unwanted pet, maybe people would not make family decisions to move without the pet, or perhaps not get one in the first place. After 35 years, we have noticed more, not less disregard for the family pet.