s/o animal shelter thread...so WWYD

[katemary63]

I'm in rural AR. There is one animal shelter within a 30 mile radius. 90% of the time, they "are not accepting dogs today." They have to "leave cages open for city strays." We are in the county. We can not call if we have a stray. If we do have a stray and they are "accepting dogs today," we have to pay $20 to leave a dog, even if we found it on the highway.

 

Rural Arkansas has thousands of stray dogs. Most of them are emaciated, filthy, parasite ridden, and diseased. Our farm is 160 acres. Strays cross our path regularily. We have adopted 3 of them, including paying for vet care to bring them back to health. I can not afford to pay the shelter $20 to take every stray I find even if they would take them which most of the time they won't. I can not leave the strays to run loose on my farm, I have livestock and vulnerable pets to protect. I love animals, but am extremely busy running a farm, homeschooling and volunteering in several capacities in my community and don't have time to make stray dogs in rural AR my "cause." I can't drive to other counties to take these strays to other shelters - again no time or money and they are "full" most of the time too.

 

I feel I have done and am doing my part. I NEVER allow a cat or dog I own to reproduce, I pay to have them all altered. I have adopted 3 strays I didn't really want and can't really afford - just to save their lives. I can't take in any more. I have 6 dogs. The 3 strays and 3 LGD's. The LGD's scare off anything in the goat pastures. But just last month, we had to run off 3 dogs attacking a cow and her newborn calf. Our cow pastures are not fenced well enough to run LGD's. Other strays come to my porch and won't leave. That's how we got Miller. We try to scare them off, but some just don't leave, hanging around the yard with my dogs.

 

So...what would you do if you were me? Seriously. I have NO solution. There is NO answer.

 

ps. I KNOW what other people around here do. I don't think you want to hear it. But my question is, if those things are not okay, then what IS the solution for ME???

Edited August 25, 2009 by katemary63

[OrganicAnn]

Can you get political? Write to local politicians. Write to the newspaper. Ask people who are animal lovers to suggest options. Some areas have private organizations that will take dogs and cats to find homes for them. Some news organization will feature a dog or cat with the hopes of getting it adopted. Just highlighting the problem may result in some solution.

 

But you are right it doesn't sound good.

[Audrey]

I'm in rural AR. There is one animal shelter within a 30 mile radius. 90% of the time, they "are not accepting dogs today." They have to "leave cages open for city strays." We are in the county. We can not call if we have a stray. If we do have a stray and they are "accepting dogs today," we have to pay $20 to leave a dog, even if we found it on the highway.

 

Rural Arkansas has thousands of stray dogs. Most of them are emaciated, filthy, parasite ridden, and diseased. Our farm is 160 acres. Strays cross our path regularily. We have adopted 3 of them, including paying for vet care to bring them back to health. I can not afford to pay the shelter $20 to take every stray I find even if they would take them which most of the time they won't. I can not leave the strays to run loose on my farm, I have livestock and vulnerable pets to protect. I love animals, but am extremely busy running a farm, homeschooling and volunteering in several capacities in my community and don't have time to make stray dogs in rural AR my "cause." I can't drive to other counties to take these strays to other shelters - again no time or money and they are "full" most of the time too.

 

I feel I have done and am doing my part. I NEVER allow a cat or dog I own to reproduce, I pay to have them all altered. I have adopted 3 strays I didn't really want and can't really afford - just to save their lives. I can't take in any more. I have 6 dogs. The 3 strays and 3 LGD's. The LGD's scare off anything in the goat pastures. But just last month, we had to run off 3 dogs attacking a cow and her newborn calf. Our cow pastures are not fenced well enough to run LGD's. Other strays come to my porch and won't leave. That's how we got Miller. We try to scare them off, but some just don't leave, hanging around the yard with my dogs.

 

So...what would you do if you were me? Seriously. I have NO solution. There is NO answer.

 

ps. I KNOW what other people around here do. I don't think you want to hear it. But my question is, if those things are not okay, then what IS the solution for ME???

 

 

All I can do is commiserate. We have the same problem, except with cats. There have been dogs come around as well, but our dog runs them off. He loves cats, though. Go figure. :001_huh:

 

I wish I had a solution for you. I wish I had a solution for us, too. I feel sorry for them all.

[EthiopianFood]

Can you get a better fence for the cows and get some more LDGs? That would take care of the cows. As for the porch dogs, I really don't know. Ignore them? Your LDGs won't run them off?

 

You can only do so much to help strays. It sounds like you are doing what you can. With that many, you will never be able to help them all. Maybe write letters to try to get better facilities at the local shelters. You can make it their writing assignment for the day. :) It will also teach activism!

[Reya]

You can start tying them up in front of the shelter at night, with plent yof water/food.

[Melissa in Australia]

can you shoot them?

it really is more humane than letting them wonder around starving.

[rwalizer]

can you shoot them?

it really is more humane than letting them wonder around starving.

 

Wow, this would be hard for me. But, it would be more humane than starvation and it would surly be better than poisoning them. What a terrible dilemma for you. I can see how much you love animals. I wish I had something more helpful to say.

[creekland]

Shooting them is what is recommended around here... but if you want to try a brainstorm I just had... how about taking a pic of them and trying them on petfinder or other such website? That way, someone wanting to really rescue a stray can have a chance. It won't work for dogs attacking cows (shoot them IMO), but for those that hang around wanting to be friendly... it would give them a chance.

[katemary63]

You can start tying them up in front of the shelter at night, with plent yof water/food.

 

I thought of this. There is a video camera and a sign saying you will be prosecuted for dumping an animal after hours. Funny thing is, you can't bring DURING hours either!

[Country Girl]

Can you call the police or take them there? I know some places if you do that the police will take them into the shelter. Might be worth looking into.

[katemary63]

can you shoot them?

it really is more humane than letting them wonder around starving.

 

Yes, this is what we SHOULD do. As far as I can see it, these are my only real options.

 

1. Shoot them.

2. Get them in the truck and drive them off to dump somewhere else.

 

Obviously, shooting them is the most humane thing to do. The condition of some of these dogs is gut wrenching. But what an aweful thing to have to do. My DH just can't do it. (except the ones attacking the cows, those he will shoot.) My son will come over and do it, but gosh, I wish I didn't have to ask him.

 

Sad, terrible situation, that makes me angry. You wouldn't believe how many people here purposely breed mutts or bad examples of a breed to get puppies to sell and "make money."

[katemary63]

Can you get political? Write to local politicians. Write to the newspaper. Ask people who are animal lovers to suggest options. Some areas have private organizations that will take dogs and cats to find homes for them. Some news organization will feature a dog or cat with the hopes of getting it adopted. Just highlighting the problem may result in some solution.

 

But you are right it doesn't sound good.

 

I guess I could write a letter or two, but that is not going to solve my problem short term. There is a group of people who are organized and attempting to raise the funds for a new county shelter, but they are no-kill. That WILL NOT HELP US IN ARKANSAS. When it is finally built, they will be full in 10 minutes. People don't do a lot of adopting at shelters (some, but not a lot) because there are giveway puppies on every corner. That is an small exageration, but yes, you can drive around on a weekend and find just about any kind of puppy you want being sold cheep or given away out of the back of a pick up truck. We even have a parking lot known locally as "puppy corner."

 

What we need is a shelter that will humanely euthanize some of these dogs. I KNOW IT'S NOT A GOOD THING, BUT IT IS THE BEST THING FOR THE ONES THAT ARE STARVING and HAVE NO CHANCE OF FINDING A HOME. Yes, an individual dog may find a home, but that means another one doesn't. Trust me, there is NO WAY they can all be adopted or sheltered for life, there are thousands of them. That's just the way it is here. I wish it were different.

[Mom-ninja.]

Yes, it is sad. However, shooting them quickly is proably the best. Poor things.

[katemary63]

Can you get a better fence for the cows and get some more LDGs? That would take care of the cows.

 

Yes, this is our long term plan. However, the perimiter fencing we need will costs tens of thousands of dollars. We are replacing one section at a time. But it will take 10 years to get it all done.

[katemary63]

Shooting them is what is recommended around here... but if you want to try a brainstorm I just had... how about taking a pic of them and trying them on petfinder or other such website? That way, someone wanting to really rescue a stray can have a chance. .....but for those that hang around wanting to be friendly... it would give them a chance.

 

This is a fantastic idea! I will be doing this the next time a stray decides to park itself in my yard. You're right. It would at least give them a chance. I remember a couple of sweet ones who just broke my heart the last couple of years. One was a beagle. Another a hound of some kind. So sweet. I will try this next time. Thanks.

[Retired]

I so understand were you are coming from. I live in rural Alabama.

 

I am at the end of road that must be everyone dog drop off.

 

In the past year we have collected 18 puppies but were unable to catch the adult dogs.

 

We set humane traps, We really went beyond the call of duty to save these animals at our own expense but in the end the adult dogs were to wild. We ended up shooting 4 because they were attacking domestic animals. We were afraid they would attack the children

 

I would of also been charged by the city pound since I didn't live in a city.

I complain to my county commission. They made a deal with the local city pound to take the pubs.

 

I do know several of the pubs were adopted but also several were put down.

 

If the dogs have not gone wild, try a humane trap and post on the animal resource sites.

[Ottakee]

That is tough.

 

Around here it is SSS

Shoot

Shovel

Shut Up

 

If you can find them homes through Craig's list, pet finder, etc. that would be great but like you said, often they are dogs with no training, poor breeding, poor health, etc. Hard to find good homes for these types of dogs.

[snickelfritz]

I think you probably already know what my family grew up doing with stray dogs.:001_huh:

 

But, when you get packs of stray dogs going after cattle and animal control situations like yours (besides the fact that we lived out of city limits and didn't even get city services) And to make it worse, people seem to like to dump their strays out in the country.

 

Well....you know the rest.

[hornblower]

I know a woman here - near Victoria, BC - who runs a rescue in which she brings up dogs from Arkansas to be adopted out here. Esp. small to medium dogs which are desirable to lots of people living in the city. (btw, Vancouver & Victoria are fabulous cities to own dogs in - tons of offleash parks, dog beaches at the ocean & lakes for swimming, trails around the mountains, doggy bakeries etc etc. About an hour's drive away is farmland with ranches & horses. If anyone wants to hear about rural dogs adapting to 'yuppy puppy' life, we have lots of stories.)

 

She pays for their fees in the pound, vets them - including heartworm treatment if they test pos., and either flies them or has a 'rescue train' of volunteers who will drive them to the Pacific Northwest.

 

She has lots of contacts in Arkansas. Mind you Arkansas is big so perhaps they're working in another region but rescuers all talk with each other.

 

http://www.mosaicrescue.ca/index.htm

 

She doesn't do many, she can only do a few at a time as she fosters them all herself (& I think she has to refill the bank account in between) but we all do what we can.

 

Perhaps the next time you have a stray, one of her contacts there would be able to assist you or work with you to get a pup rehomed.

 

 

“I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.â€

 

- Helen Keller

[MomLovesClassics]

I say take them to the shelter. Please take them to the shelter!

Although this is extreme, there is a case in GA where a pack of "stray""wild""feral" dogs killed a couple. A man claimed a few of the dags saying he fed them sometimes. It is sad. The county has no animal shelter, and no animal laws. I wonder what other things concerning animals is legal since there are no laws. So this man who left dogs at an empty house and did not feed them except when he felt like it is not being charged. He didn't break the law. Dogs without human contact, and regular food can be dangerous. You can not adopt them all. It is up to you to protect your family.

About that county, I shudder to think what people may do since there are no laws. Dog fights, chicken fights, etc. it is sick to think it could be legal because there are no laws. There should be laws. Strays can become dangerous, as this couple was killed by stray dogs. The man will most likely be charged with nothing.

[Tap]

Do you have Animal Control in your area? Here we can call animal control to come get a stray. We don't get charged if they retrieve it, but we do if we deliver the animal to the shelter.

[Impish]

I agree with shooting them. Sorry, but they can get pretty freakin mean and wild, as well as join up with others and form a pack. You get a wild dog pack at your farm, and heaven help you, seriously. Just not worth the potential risk to you, your family, and your livestock. Plus, the potential carrier of disease that could be transmitted...

 

I'm definitely in the 3S crowd.

[Remudamom]

It's terrible. We haven't shot one yet, but I have taken some in and found them homes. I drove one 90 miles to a shelter, but had to get on a waiting list.

 

I've loaded them up and brought them into town. I'm a bit more flexible with cats but I do get the females fixed. We have a vet that gives you a break if the cat is wild or dumped on you.

[Julie in CA]

We have a dairy farm, and strays show up fairly regularly. They usually don't stay very long, and we allow them water and food, but we try not to make friends. We have 2 dogs, my in-laws have 3 dogs, and if there are any more than that they all start roaming together in a pack.

 

One day a dog showed up that was friendly, and as usual it ate our dogs' food and drank water--fine, that's ok. It was friendly, and refused to leave on it's own. The problem was that at night this dog would chew everything it could find...bicycles, work boots, tires on the truck, etc, and it would {here's the key} chase livestock. The destruction around the house we might've coped with, but no chasing of livestock, ever! That's how we feed our family!

 

I called the local humane shelter, and they said they were full, and to call back the next day. When I called the next day (after another bad night) they told me that they were still full, and honestly expected to be full for several weeks. No, there were no alternatives, that I'd just have to keep the dog. !!! I told them that there was *no way* that we could keep that dog, and maybe I'd just put the dog back in the road where it came from and it might find it's way home. They actually told me that since I had previously given them a description of the dog, that if they found it wandering they would do everything in their power to have me charged with (I can't remember now, maybe animal neglect?), and that if it was found that we'd harmed the animal (i.e. shooting it), that the consequences would be even greater. :glare: I was incredulous, and reminded them that "It's not my dog!" Didn't make a difference. I was really really angry by that point, though by nature I'm very non-confrontational, and told them that I'd be telling everyone I knew about the situation, including but not limited to friends, fellow farmers, and the newspaper, and that I was pretty sure they'd receive a ton less support than they had in the past. I must've sounded really convincing, because they finally grudgingly told me that they had an agreement with a local vet to house overflow when possible, and that I could drop the dog there and pay for it's boarding. HUH?! :confused: I dropped the dog at the vet, and left (without paying). Truthfully, the vet's staff didn't seem to understand why I'd be paying either.

 

That was the end of my support for the shelters, and there's no way on earth I'd *ever* give them a dime of my money, especially to adopt a dog, or to take one in. My solution would be the shotgun (tho I'd have to have someone else do it!) ;)

[OHGrandma]

Thankfully we have far fewer strays than we used to. We also have a farm and we border a hunting preserve. 25 years ago we used to have stray dogs showing up *all* the time. Now it's only once every few months. Same with cats, we get new strays about every 5-6 months. We do have a lot of coyotes and I think that cut down on stray cats.

I'm not sure why we have so few stray dogs now since others here seem to still have a bad problem with them. Maybe because all the locals know my thoughts are we should ship all our unwanted dogs & cats to countries who eat these animals?

[kalanamak]

can you shoot them?

it really is more humane than letting them wonder around starving.

 

:iagree:, sadly.

[PiCO]

I'm in rural AR. There is one animal shelter within a 30 mile radius. 90% of the time, they "are not accepting dogs today."

 

This is the problem with no-kill shelters. I would rather have a shelter that always takes animals in, and euthanizes as necessary.

 

I sure appreciate my local humane society after reading all these threads! Yes, they are a little over-the-top doing background checks, etc. for potential homes, but nothing compared to what some of you go through. They also accept any mammal, with no fees charged. They do what they can to adopt out animals, but it's not fair to an animal to leave them cooped up in a cage forever either.

 

As for your problem, If I were in your shoes think I would have one of my sons shoot most of the dogs, and use PetFinder on the dogs that seem really friendly. I think it takes a lot of character for a stray dog to be friendly.

 

I also think I would become a political activist and try to get a kill shelter opened in the county.

[dirty ethel rackham]

My friend had a similar problem with an animal shelter here - animal lovers who have no sense. A stray cat decided to make its home in my friend's breezeway. She discovered it just as it was about to give birth to kittens. She called the shelter and they begged her to keep the cat until the kittens were ready to be weaned and adopted out. Despite the fact that they have bad cat allergies in her family, she grudgingly agreed - probably her pregancy hormones at the time. She kept in regular contact with the shelter and they were supposed to come and take the animals. She went so far as to attempt to drop them off, but the shelter said they couldn't take them that day. Well, this mom lost her baby and had a stillbirth. She called the shelter and told them that, in no uncertain terms, that the cats had to go - right away or she would drop them off in a box. The woman from the shelter berrated her for not taking better care of "her" animals (this was a stray, mind you) and telling her what a cruel person she was (a mom who was grieving her lost baby.)

 

My heart broke for my friend - having to hear this abuse while in an overwhelming state of grief. I could not believe the lack of compassion over the death of a human.

[MomLovesClassics]

My friend had a similar problem with an animal shelter here - animal lovers who have no sense. A stray cat decided to make its home in my friend's breezeway. She discovered it just as it was about to give birth to kittens. She called the shelter and they begged her to keep the cat until the kittens were ready to be weaned and adopted out. Despite the fact that they have bad cat allergies in her family, she grudgingly agreed - probably her pregancy hormones at the time. She kept in regular contact with the shelter and they were supposed to come and take the animals. She went so far as to attempt to drop them off, but the shelter said they couldn't take them that day. Well, this mom lost her baby and had a stillbirth. She called the shelter and told them that, in no uncertain terms, that the cats had to go - right away or she would drop them off in a box. The woman from the shelter berrated her for not taking better care of "her" animals (this was a stray, mind you) and telling her what a cruel person she was (a mom who was grieving her lost baby.)

 

My heart broke for my friend - having to hear this abuse while in an overwhelming state of grief. I could not believe the lack of compassion over the death of a human.

Oh my!! I had no idea shelters were that bad.

[MomLovesClassics]

When stray dogs become wild they can mate with coyotes. When that happens they are much worse than coyotes. After hearing about the couple who got killed by dogs, I would have no problem shooting if it were my only option. No one can take care of every stray. Some places do not have animal control, and the others are full and can not accept new animals. To me it would be better to shoot, if there were not another option, because you never know what will happen to that dog if it is left in the wild. It is better to protect oneself, family and property than to leave a dog in the wild to come back to harm.

[CatMomof3]

When stray dogs become wild they can mate with coyotes. When that happens they are much worse than coyotes. After hearing about the couple who got killed by dogs, I would have no problem shooting if it were my only option. No one can take care of every stray. Some places do not have animal control, and the others are full and can not accept new animals. To me it would be better to shoot, if there were not another option, because you never know what will happen to that dog if it is left in the wild. It is better to protect oneself, family and property than to leave a dog in the wild to come back to harm.

:iagree:

I wonder if these shelters would only adopt their animals out if the owners would keep them inside (jabb at another thread):001_huh:

[katemary63]

Do you have Animal Control in your area? Here we can call animal control to come get a stray. We don't get charged if they retrieve it, but we do if we deliver the animal to the shelter.

 

Nope, we are TOLD to shoot them. No one will come do it for us or catch them.

[Denisemomof4]

this is so unbelievably sad. I couldn't stand to see that.

 

I have an issue with feral cats. I have found that there is state aid for someone who is willing to take the time to have them spayed and neutered. I also have contacts of people who will take them to the vets to spay/neuter and the release again. I have no problem feeding them but most won't let anyone near them.

 

Surely there must be animal activists and help in your area. I'd start by calling the humane society, local vets, etc. See if there's anything out there you dobn't know about.