quote:
Originally posted by jne
Wilber, I think your missing the issue here. 'No Kill' is a whole other matter. There are ways to implement humane policies that include euthanasia. If an animal is adoptable, it should have chance to find a home and I think its possible to guarantee that it gets that chance. Animals are going to have to be put down, but they should not suffer unnecessarily. There seem to be many examples of shelters managed by Humane Societies and other animal welfare groups that take advantage of a strong volunteer force, leveraging their resources to manage shelter populations.
Seems like some enforcement of current laws (some modifications may be necessary)with appropriate fines levied would pay for itself and would ultimately result in less burden on the shelter.
I think it is a law enforcement issue when it comes to enforcement and a adoption/care issue when it comes to the shelter. The police department has no business running the shelter IMO. There are so many people who would be willing to put their hearts into a job where they could help our animals and the least of their concerns is their paycheck.
I foster a number of animals throughout the year from a private vet practice for adoption. If I had faith that my time and efforts were not in vain, I would do the same for the shelter and would recruit others as well.
I do understand what no-kill means and I, like everyone else, would love to see each animal adopted out. But, there will be no fine line as to what animals are adoptable and which ones are not. But again, the problem is one of space. Space it not unlimited at the Tulsa Animal Shelter. You make one small change to what animals you keep and which ones you don't, and the shelter immediately overflows.
As I mentioned before, police hate running animal shelters. It is a no win and a royal pain in the a$$. But again, most shelters are viewed as a law enforcement issue, that is why most cities across the US put shelters under the purview of police/sheriff.
And I believe it was implied (maybe I'm wrong) that the animal shelter employees hate animals. Do a little survey and find out how many cats/dogs each of those employees have at home. It will amaze you, because they hate seeing all those animals put down as well.
Forcing to rely on volunteers for anything is always difficult at best. You never know when a volunteer will show up, so you must depend on a skeleton crew in case no volunteers show. If there is a non-profit group out there who wishes to take of Tulsa's Animal Shelter, I say, bring 'em on. I'd even recommend Tulsa give them the same amount of money out of the budget they currently give the government run facility, but not a penny more. Then watch how little difference it will make.
I also foster - but there aren't nearly enough foster homes for pets. My house has been overrun by cats in the past because, once you volunteer, you get taken advantage of, and I now have cats nobody wants.