Claire Moxim

MCFA

Public Awareness Director

“If we could spend our time working to find homes for our strays and lost pets, we could save more lives,”  states Monroe County Animal Shelter Director, Vicki Morgan. 

She reports that at least one-fourth of the money, time and effort spent at the shelter goes to care for animals that are coming in from a purchase from a flea market, buying/accepting a puppy or kitten from a friend or from the Wal-Mart parking lot.

Many of the animals arriving at the shelter are purebred, a product of someone’s deliberate breeding program.  Do you know where your puppies are winding up? During only the first few days of August, the Monroe County Animal Shelter found homes for  one collie, two German shepherds, three Boston terriers and one great dane.  

They are not staying with the “good homes” you thought you were adopting to.  They are winding up at a shelter, where other dogs will need to be euthanized to make room for your puppy.  After a short stay, if not adopted, your now maybe not-so-cute unloved adolescent puppy or kitten will have to be euthanized make room for yet another unwanted animal.

There is no mythical “farm in the country” that all these unwanted pets can go to.  We are very successful with our Rolling Rescue program and manage to save the lives of 50-60 animals per month.  However, on Aug. 1 we took in 34 animals; Aug. 2 we took in 55 animals; Aug. 3 we took in 36 animals; and on Aug. 4 we took in 36 animals.  By Aug. 6, we had received 159 animals.  We have 20 available kennels at the shelter and space for 15 cats/kittens.

This is not a problem that shelter workers and volunteers can solve.  One pet owner brought in a litter of 5 black lab-mix older puppies that she could not find anyone else to take. At this point, owners are no longer looking for a good home, just somewhere to get rid of the excess.  This particular dog mother has had more than 135 puppies in the last three-four years.  

When asked, the owner said that she had found homes for all of them.  With that kind of success, we’d like to offer her a job working at the shelter!  Having supposedly found those homes, do you think that those puppies have all been spayed or neutered?  For every puppy or kitten that is produced and not spayed or neutered, hundreds of new unwanted animals can be produced.

SNAP (Spay Neuter Assistance Program) offers free vouchers to qualifying families for a spay or neuter procedure at participating local veterinarians.  The next voucher giveaway will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 4 at Council Room, City Hall, 203 Monroe Street in Sweetwater.  PPAWS in Greenback also offers low cost neutering at their clinic.  

Call the shelter at 423-442-1015 for more information.