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Plans for animal shelter would ease burden and unnecessary deaths By
Tricia Payne
Where do stray animals go in Cache Valley? There is no local animal shelter, which in turn leaves many homeless animals. Cache Meadow, a veterinary clinic in North Logan, typically houses around 10 stray animals at one time, a mix of cats and dogs, but the turnover rate is high. If an animal is not claimed within five days, it will be euthanized. If an animal comes to the clinic injured, permission from the city to treat it must be obtained. In one instance, a Hyde Park animal control officer brought in an injured dog, and the city of Hyde Park agreed to pay for treatment of the animal, but the owner was not found within the five-day period. To the dismay of Cache Meadow, the animal was euthanized. "We don't win them all, but we win a few," said veterinary assistant and office manager of Cache Meadow, Pat Miller. According to veterinarian records, within the last year 54 animals were euthanized in Cache Valley -- 31 cats and 23 dogs. These numbers are lower than previous years, but there is still a lot of room for improvement. There are a few diligent animal lovers who take in these abandoned pets on their deathbeds, but they cannot do it all. With the motto, "Animals: They share our world too," the Cache Humane Society is doing everything it can to help. Its mission is to "prevent cruelty to animals and to relieve suffering to animals; to engender and to encourage humane attitudes through the dissemination of information and the education of the public." The Cache Humane Society is comprised entirely of volunteers. It is a non-profit organization, so raising money is a huge obstacle for them. It has the property and complete architectural plans to build an animal shelter, and hope to break ground for the shelter in May. A generous donor, who wished to remain anonymous, has agreed to provide significant funding for the operating costs of the first two years once the shelter has been established. The shelter will cost about $300,000, but at least $100,000 has to be raised before the groundbreaking will take place. The proposed shelter will initially contain 24 indoor dog kennels and 30 cat cages with room for expansion. The shelter will also include areas for observation, isolation, and a "get-to-know-your-adopted-pet" room. In addition, there will be an education room for school programs, and an outdoor exercise area. The shelter will be at 2350 W. 200 North, to the west of Logan. Also, the Cache Humane Society provides schoolteachers with an educational brochure called "Kind News." This ongoing effort is used to educate the public about animal overpopulation and cruelty. The closest animal shelter is in Brigham City. According to a CNN Report, "Some 70,000 dogs -- and cats - are born every day in the U.S. because of uncontrolled breeding." A local animal savior, Kitty White, has made saving the lives of cats her life's work. About eight years ago, she converted her Logan garage into a cat shelter. She is currently housing 70 cats, but in the past she has housed as many as 130 cats at one time. She gives the animals care and love, and she does it for the sole reason -- she likes cats. A lot. Logan pet ordinances allow four animals per household. But unlike other animal volunteer/caretakers in a situation similar to White's, who take care dogs, White's neighbors have never complained about her practices, and authorities have not enforced this rule. White thinks this is probably because they realize what a great service she provides for Cache valley. She takes in stray cats she stumbles upon, cats from people who know her as the cat lady, and cats turned over to her by veterinarians. If she has room, she will take in the cat. Cats have found their way to White in some extremely unusual ways. One time, a box of abandoned black and white kittens was found by a Logan resident, floating down a river. White agreed to take these kittens in, even though they required special care. She bottle-fed them back to health, and she helped find them homes. White expects the predicted Cache Valley animal shelter will have a great impact on her. Abandoned cats and dogs will have a place to go, and they won't all be dropped off at her door. So exactly what is the underlying problem? What is the need that is not being met? Too many stray animals, and not enough places to house them. Both Miller and White suggest a major element to this problem is that not enough people are spaying and neutering their pets. "There are many farmers in the area who want the cats to help protect their crops from mice, but they don't realize how fast one batch of unsterilized kittens can multiply. The Society for Improvement of Conditions for Stray Animals, SICSA, confirms the fact that spaying and neutering is a key factor in eliminating the problem of pet overpopulation. The Alliance for Stray Animals and Pets, ASAP, is another nonprofit organization that reaches out to communities like Cache Valley, and helps to financially support people who are willing to care for stray animals until permanent homes can be found. Paul McGreevy, in the book CATS--The Little Guides, writes "Unless you are a breeder, your cat will be far happier and make a better pet if she is neutered. This will also help reduce the number of unwanted cats, and probably save you a considerable sum of money in medical costs." The book also points out that if a cat is left unaltered, it will constantly howl, pace, and mark its territory. Although some people have no problem with having a female spayed, because they do not want her to have kittens, but more often, people shy away from having a male cat neutered. However, if a cat is to be kept completely indoors, it is cruel to leave him as an intact male and deny him access to normal mating with a female. If the cat spends time outdoors, the book suggests that the owner is responsible for "contributing to the countless numbers of unwanted cats and kittens that are destroyed each year by humane societies worldwide." An article in Business World talks about how domestic animals have a high reproduction rate. The article shows from a recent feature in the magazine Dog Fancy an example that helps to illustrate the growth potential of dogs. The article said that when two dogs meet and mate, they usually produce a litter of eight. Six months later, the original couple can produce eight more puppies. If each of their puppies is capable of reproducing litters of eight, then six years later, the original two-dog union can produce a family tree of 67,000 dogs. There is hope for Cache valley, with the help of volunteers and animal lovers who are willing to house stray animals until a facility is completed, the situation in improving. Cache Meadow, along with Kitty White and other cooperating veterinary clinics in the valley, is working to promote awareness and active responsibility in animal care. "We become emotionally attached too," said Miller, of Cache Meadow, "but the most rewarding aspect of running this clinic is providing reliable medical care for people's pets--and the happiness it brings them." If you are interested in making a donation to the Cache Valley Animal Shelter, please call 792-3920.
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