Dec 17, 2003 2 min read

The Greene County Humane Society recently broke ground for a new animal shelter that should go a long way in treating the disease of abandoned, abused and neglected animals. Unfortunately, it will do little to prevent the continuous spread of unwanted animals. The abandoned pet problem in Greene is no different than that of Fayette’s. But in such a tiny county that numbers slightly more than 40,000 people, the numbers are stunning. The Greene Humane Society reports that it cares for 2,000 animals each year in its shelters and it investigates 1,000 complaints of animal cruelty.

The shelter is doing its best to humanely care for these animals. The best that happens is for a dog or cat to find a home in a family that cares for its needs. The worst is that it is put to sleep. Given the volume of animals that go through the shelter, we suspect that the worst happens to most.

This isn’t the fault of the humane society, which does the best with the resources it has. It’s former shelter fell to ruins after long-wall mining caused it to collapse. The shelter then moved to another mine-damaged property and has been working hard toward the day that it could build a shelter to better serve its charges. By spring, the 4,000-square-foot shelter should be complete at a cost of $350,000.

While the shelter is going up, the humane society needs to impress upon the local government and the residents of Greene that too many animals are going unwanted. Perhaps more publicity of the animals’ plight and hosting of spaying and neutering clinics would help. Some 2,000 pets a year are harmed. That is far, far too many.