Aug 7, 2003 2 min read

On today’s page Marybeth Homistek, a volunteer at Noah’s Ark animal shelter, writes of the plague that has visited Fayette County. Hundreds of unwanted cats and kittens each month appear at the shelter. Few are adopted. Most are killed. Animal shelters, such as Noah’s Ark, are not warehouses without boundaries capable of caring for limitless unwanted pets. The public and municipal officials deal with animal control on just one level. They think only as far as which humane agency to contract with to pick up strays or drop off unwanted pets. They fail to think beyond that as to what will happen to the animal or how to prevent the problem from mounting.

Homistek makes the suggestion that if local veterinarians offered low-cost spaying, more people might be able to afford it. That’s a possibility.

What might work better is if the county’s township supervisor association took on the challenge to develop programs that cut the cost of spaying and neutering animals. They could consider approaching vets to host regular clinics, similar to the rabies clinics. They could look at offering coupons for discounted services. They could take a more active role in working with animal shelters in educating the public on responsible pet ownership.

Supervisors would do well to put the topic on the agenda of their next get-together and begin to devise a way of cutting down on unwanted animals. Money toward that goal will be more than made up as animal control and removal costs would drop.