The ground breaking for the new Saratoga County Animal Shelter was an
exciting moment for so many people that have been waiting at least
three years for work to begin.
That night I saw on the evening news that the short version of the story was focused only on the 5 million dollar price tag for the new shelter. The subtext of the news story was driven by a looming question--how could Saratoga County build a new animal shelter during these troubled economic times when other counties are struggling with budget shortfalls? Like so many news stories on TV, all the details are left out for the sake of a fast-paced production. Since I am not under any pressure to chop the story into tiny sound bites, I will offer here some relevant details.
First of all, the news reporter left out the facts that the current shelter is thirty years old, very cramped, and was never designed to be an animal shelter in the first place. Dan Butler and his staff have "made do" for years. At times they have had to turn people away because the shelter was overfull. Kittens were put in rabbit cages, phone calls were made to rescue groups and places like Estherville, asking if they could take some of the overload. Sometimes these groups could and sometimes they could not help because they too were full.
Secondly, the news reporter had no time to explain that the benefits of a new shelter go beyond the animals themselves. It is also about making our community safer and healthier for the over 200,000 county residents. Homeless animals in the county can pose health problems for the residents and their pets. They can carry diseases and parasites. They also can engage in territorial fights with each other or with local pets. Their efforts to find food can result in dumpster diving, rodent kills and attacks on wild animals that may be carriers of rabies. County residents will benefit from fewer homeless animals roaming the streets, fewer strays frightening children and their parents, and fewer automobile accidents involving animals running loose.
Thirdly, the evening news report failed to mention that the new shelter will have sterile facilities for spay/neuter surgeries. This will help to cut down on the unwanted homeless pet population and hopefully will reduce the need for euthanasia. Without these new facilities, shelter animals that are not altered will continue to be adopted. If the new owner does not spay/neuter his new pet, the offspring could end up back again in the shelter. The initiative to spay/neuter all animals that leave the county shelter is important not only for keeping down the unwanted pet population, but it also protects some breeds like pit bulls from being adopted for illegal dog fighting. They might also be adopted to become producers of future generations of fighting dogs. Further, unaltered popular or rare purebred dogs can end up adopted out to be breeding dogs for the lucrative but tragic business of puppy mills.
Fourthly, the news story did not mention that the bids came in low because builders need the jobs at this economically difficult time. The news story also failed to mention that one plan for a new shelter was rejected because it would have cost 7 million dollars rather than 5 million dollars. In other words, we are not getting the most expensive plan, we are benefiting from the building slowdown, and we are putting people to work in construction.
Finally, we should ask ourselves what kind of a community do we want to be? Do we see ourselves as a community that values life in all its wondrous forms? Do we accept the idea that a pet cat or dog can bring comfort and joy to many of our citizens? Do we want our children to learn that to care for and protect a helpless kitten or puppy is a good thing? I want all these things for my community, and I am grateful that our county officials felt, even in this time of economic hardship, the need for a new shelter is long overdue and is the right thing to do.
For further information on the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, call Sandy Zanone at (518) 583-1080 or visit www.saratogacountyny.gov. For more information on the Friends of the Saratoga County Animal Shelter contact Sandy Zanone at 5831080. Also, if you have questions about your pets, pet adoption or other related topics, send them to jsweet@skidmore.edu. If we do not have the answers, we will contact people who do.
First of all, the news reporter left out the facts that the current shelter is thirty years old, very cramped, and was never designed to be an animal shelter in the first place. Dan Butler and his staff have "made do" for years. At times they have had to turn people away because the shelter was overfull. Kittens were put in rabbit cages, phone calls were made to rescue groups and places like Estherville, asking if they could take some of the overload. Sometimes these groups could and sometimes they could not help because they too were full.
Secondly, the news reporter had no time to explain that the benefits of a new shelter go beyond the animals themselves. It is also about making our community safer and healthier for the over 200,000 county residents. Homeless animals in the county can pose health problems for the residents and their pets. They can carry diseases and parasites. They also can engage in territorial fights with each other or with local pets. Their efforts to find food can result in dumpster diving, rodent kills and attacks on wild animals that may be carriers of rabies. County residents will benefit from fewer homeless animals roaming the streets, fewer strays frightening children and their parents, and fewer automobile accidents involving animals running loose.
Thirdly, the evening news report failed to mention that the new shelter will have sterile facilities for spay/neuter surgeries. This will help to cut down on the unwanted homeless pet population and hopefully will reduce the need for euthanasia. Without these new facilities, shelter animals that are not altered will continue to be adopted. If the new owner does not spay/neuter his new pet, the offspring could end up back again in the shelter. The initiative to spay/neuter all animals that leave the county shelter is important not only for keeping down the unwanted pet population, but it also protects some breeds like pit bulls from being adopted for illegal dog fighting. They might also be adopted to become producers of future generations of fighting dogs. Further, unaltered popular or rare purebred dogs can end up adopted out to be breeding dogs for the lucrative but tragic business of puppy mills.
Fourthly, the news story did not mention that the bids came in low because builders need the jobs at this economically difficult time. The news story also failed to mention that one plan for a new shelter was rejected because it would have cost 7 million dollars rather than 5 million dollars. In other words, we are not getting the most expensive plan, we are benefiting from the building slowdown, and we are putting people to work in construction.
Finally, we should ask ourselves what kind of a community do we want to be? Do we see ourselves as a community that values life in all its wondrous forms? Do we accept the idea that a pet cat or dog can bring comfort and joy to many of our citizens? Do we want our children to learn that to care for and protect a helpless kitten or puppy is a good thing? I want all these things for my community, and I am grateful that our county officials felt, even in this time of economic hardship, the need for a new shelter is long overdue and is the right thing to do.
For further information on the Saratoga County Animal Shelter, call Sandy Zanone at (518) 583-1080 or visit www.saratogacountyny.gov. For more information on the Friends of the Saratoga County Animal Shelter contact Sandy Zanone at 5831080. Also, if you have questions about your pets, pet adoption or other related topics, send them to jsweet@skidmore.edu. If we do not have the answers, we will contact people who do.
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