AR-News: (US CA) Debate No-Kill

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

The Heald News Network
By JACK FICHTER 

CREST HAVEN — Will  the new, $1.1-million, county Animal Shelter opening July 
15 be a kill or a  no-kill facility? It depends on who you ask. 


Shelter Director John Queenan told the Herald the shelter will  be a kill 
facility, but only as a last resort for overcrowded conditions.
“As  a government entity, I just can’t say only bring in animals that are 
highly  adoptable,” he said. 
County shelter staff members have been training for a  month and a half in 
the Cumberland County SPCA Shelter to witness euthanasia. He  said he feared 
staff members would quit after seeing a dog put down.
“Now  they understand it,” said Queenan. “They are seeing that it is 
necessary. They  are hugging dogs while they are put down.”
He said even with highly adoptable  animals, if all 48 kennel runs are full, 
after a animal has resided in the  shelter for seven days, “decisions have to 
be made.” He said he hoped private  animal rescue groups would come forward to 
take animals for adoption when the  shelter is full.
If those groups have the expertise to deal with animals that  would otherwise 
be euthanized, due to temperament or other problems, he said  they can have 
those dogs. He said the county shelter does not have the staff or  budget to 
work with unadoptable animals.
Queenan said the county shelter must  follow state guidelines for 
overcrowding.
“My personal goal is the least  amount of euthanasia possible, but I have 
limits such as space, biting dogs, and  dogs that are so diseased that they are 
going to die...” he said. “Do you let  them suffer or do you humanely put them 
down?”
Queenan asked if it is humane  to keep an animal in a cage for months and 
months until the dog “goes crazy.” He  said once a dog reaches that point, it is 
tough to bring it back to being an  adoptable animal.
Queenan said the decision to euthanize an animal would not  be his alone but 
include the veterinarian of record and shelter staff members.  He said there 
really is no such thing as no kill shelter.

full story:

_http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/index.cfm?CID=news_view&Section_ID=1&News_
ID=1204_ 
(http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/index.cfm?CID=news_view&Section_ID=1&News_ID=1204)  




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"The man who kills  the animals today is the man who kills the people who get 
in his way tomorrow."  - Dr. Diane Fossey, Woman in the Mists (Dr. Fossey was 
killed by someone who  killed animals yesterday.)
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>' .' <

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