[I decided it would be a good idea to have some text to accompany the short documentary series I'll be airing in the next few weeks. It's hard to get a ton of information into just 5 minutes, and there's a lot more that people should know, so the following is an article about the first installment of the series, Burlington Animal Services.]
Laura Michel, volunteer coordinator at Burlington Animal Services, said her greatest dream is that one day she’ll come in to work and be laid off, because there just aren’t any animals coming into the shelter anymore. But, she said, this just isn’t realistic.
I sat with her in her office at the adoption center, the long, one-story building at the forefront of the BAS property, as she explained the process of taking in an animal, deciding whether to put it up for adoption, and in some cases, euthanizing it.
North Carolina law states that stray animals must be held for three days, animals who have bitten people or other animals must be held for ten, and animals surrendered by their owners have no time constraints attached to them. Since the shelter takes in mostly strays, which often stick around in the holding area for up to a week because weekends and holidays aren’t included in the three days, there isn’t always enough room to keep owner-surrendered pets.
Every animal has to start at the shelter holding area and be assessed on health and behavior before they can be put up for adoption, and if an animal can’t fit in the first building, they won’t make it to the second – the adoption center.
Animal euthanasia is a sad story, but Michel and her colleague, Assistant Director Tina Meeks, were quick to point out that the people who do the euthanizing aren’t heartless.
“They do it because they really care about these animals,” Meeks said.
Michel emphasized that every decision they make at the shelter is for the good of all of the animals. If a dog comes in with a disease that BAS can’t treat, with its one part-time vet on hand for spaying and neutering adoptable animals, they can’t put it in the holding area with other, healthy animals. If a feral cat is brought in, and it’s trying to tear the face off of the animal control officer, Michel said they just can’t take the liability of having this animal at their facility.
So why can’t they just send owners away and say, “Sorry, there’s no room at the inn,”? It’s illegal. Since BAS is a public shelter, they must take in every single animal that is brought to them, regardless of whether or not they have room for it, or if it’s going to be deemed an adoptable animal.
Why do people still leave their animals at the shelter, then? Meeks said that some people actually think they’re doing the shelter a favor by bringing them more animals, and others simply don’t know the possibilities. However, Michel said that on the form every owner must fill out and sign when surrendering an animal, among questions about breed, health and behavior, there’s a statement that says the animal might be put down.
This sometimes turns into a sticky situation, as with Elon student Lee Dickinson last year. He brought his dog Petey to BAS and tearfully signed the paperwork, only to change his mind shortly thereafter and go back for the dog, who had been euthanized. The shelter got a lot of backlash for this, and Michel said it was unwarranted, because not only does the staff try to make it clear that this may happen, but, “It’s the community that has caused this problem of overpopulation (of animals.)”
There are about 145,000 people in Alamance County, and the shelter took in 8,800 animals last year, euthanizing about 70%. Michel said the issue is that people are not spaying and neutering their pets. She told me that dogs and cats can go into heat several times a year, and the males will do anything in their power to get to the females. In other words, just because your animal is inside the house most of the time or in a cage in the backyard, doesn’t mean she’s safe, or that he won’t get out.
Michel and Bev Gude of the Humane Society of Alamance County wanted to dispel some myths about spaying and neutering. They said that a lot of people think their dog will get fat and lazy after being altered, or that they’ll lose their protective instinct, but that these things are untrue. In fact, Michel said that since animals are susceptible to ovarian, breast, uterine, testicular and prostate cancers just like humans, removing their sexual organs can make them healthier. She said it makes them more comfortable and helps them live longer lives.
The biggest reason that people don’t spay and neuter their pets though, is cost. At a private vet, the procedure can cost up to $300. Some vets will do it for cheaper, and the Humane Society of Alamance County is working to provide as many low-cost alterations as possible, sometimes even footing the bill when owners just can’t find the funds.
But more often than not, it seems that people just don’t spay and neuter, and the offspring of their pets end up at places like BAS. Some get adopted, but some have to be put down. The subject of just how euthanasia is done opens up a whole new debate. BAS used to euthanize in a gas chamber only, but they’ve recently switched to about 80% injection due to pressure from the community. In an upcoming installment, I’ll look into what lawmakers in Raleigh are doing about regulating methods of euthanasia.
