Published: January 05, 2009 10:13 am      

Over ‘pup’ulated

Irresponsible owners cause needless euthanizations at shelter

Danie M. Huffman

wdreporter2@yahoo.com

When living in the country, one expects to see children playing with a family dog roaming the backyard. Yet, to have a pesky canine running loose, chewing and tearing up garbage and impregnating other dogs is almost unbearable.

The nuisance is more than what local residents can handle. Numerous complaints come into the Parker County Sheriff’s Office as well as Weatherford Police Department daily.

Pit bulls and vicious dogs seem to be the main concern. Residents complain of not being able to get from their homes to their cars without a frightening experience with a free-roaming aggressive dog.

The city’s ordinance on such dogs brought into the animal shelter are clear. They must be euthanized.

“All vicious dogs, including pits,” said shelter administrative supervisor Gladys Hansen.

Last year alone, the shelter had to euthanize more than 4,000 animals because of the overpopulation. The shelter currently has six pits housed in kennels.

Leash laws are another concern. One which shelter employees say is often ignored.

Hansen said owners move to the county thinking they can let their dogs roam free.

“Leash laws are just as much in effect in the county as they are in the city,” she said.

Irresponsibility does not seem to end there.

Karen Kessler and Evan Cox said major seizures were conducted due to owners keeping numerous pets in unsuitable conditions.

In 2008, Cox worked five saddening cases.

He said one case included a run-down mobile home where occupants went three months without electricity. Once inside, officers found three infant children and 21 Jack Russell terriers. He added the babies had numerous flea bites on them and were placed in child protective services.

Another case Kessler worked resulted in the seizure of 14 horses that were neglected and abused.

“We had several cases,” she said. “We seized 28 cocker spaniels at once, and at least a dozen goats on a separate call,” she said.

In all, the county conducted six major seizure cases while Cox completed five.

Cox said he has four similar cases he is currently investigating.

County officers rotate shifts seven days a week. Cox patrols the city and answers calls five days weekly.

State law requires the shelter to keep a pet for a minimum of 72 hours before euthanizing an animal. If the pet has a microchip, the stay is bumped to six days.

A microchip does not necessarily mean the pet will go home. Kessler said many times the owners never call or come to get the pet.

Samson, a sweet-natured adult labrador, is currently housed at the shelter.

“Sadly, Samson’s chances of survival are extremely low,” Kessler said. “Despite his lovable demeanor and friendly approach, Samson is a large adult male, which rarely gets adopted.”

She said he was found on Floyd Road with a red collar.

“He seems healthy, with a muscular build and shiny coat.” she said. “But regardless, people seeking to adopt a new pet don’t choose dogs like Samson.”

A $10,000 grant from PetSmart allowed hundreds of dogs to live last year.

The grant included a program for low income families to have their pet spayed or neutered, which is part of the enormous problem according to Cox and Kessler.

According to the Dallas SPCA, if allowed to roam, an unneutered male can be responsible for impregnating countless puppies. A female can have up to two litters annually, hundreds in just a few years and can cause a chain reaction of thousands within a five-year span.

Cat numbers appear outrageous. With a dozen kittens born on average for the first year, a cat can create a domino effect of birthing more than two million in an eight-year period.

At one time, the shelter is only equipped to house 107 dogs.

Because of the overpopulation, the shelter is no longer able to accept any animals from incorporated cities within Parker County.

Employees agree, by ignoring the laws and allowing animals to run loose and not having them spayed or neutered, owners cause the workload of animal control officers to increase dramatically.

County officers number four, while the city only has room in the budget for one.

The four county officers must cover more than 900 square miles of territory, responding to every call ranging from animal bites and loose livestock, to aggressive attack dogs and ones which are plain annoying.

The shelter accepted 5,493 in-take animals in 2008. Only 1,300 were returned to their owners.

The shelter runs by the hands of 12 employees, eight active volunteers, seven active Parker Paws members, four trustys and one Furry Friends member.

Kessler said without the help of Hansen, Halston Hodges, Diana Mills, Dianne Tawater, Doris Allbritton, Tammie Wright and Dianne Daniel, the shelter would be obsolete.

“They’re the heartbeat of this operation,” Kessler said.

Cox agrees saying, “Without them, we wouldn’t be able to operate at all.”

All employees are eager to say operating the shelter would be much easier if everyone would do their part.

“Point blank, spay and neuter your pets,” Kessler said. “And keep them leashed or fenced in. If people would just obey the laws and be more responsible, we could save a lot of animals and cut down on euthanizing thousands every year.”