Several dozen animals are euthanized daily as population explodes and county lacks space. It was shortly after 11 a.m. when a man walked into the 
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control offices Friday and turned in his dog because it was terrorizing his neighborhood. After a computerized background check on the dog, the two parted. What the pit bull didn't know was that he had joined "the list" of animals to be euthanized, then cremated, within days at the county's new $80,000 incinerator. With the pet population soaring, the shelter on Belvedere Road, west of West Palm Beach, has almost doubled its capacity. A lack of space in an old, smaller building forced officials to make life-and-death decisions. "We have nearly 30,000 animals coming in each year, and the old place was built for 17,000. So, if you have no space, a certain number has to be put to sleep every day to make room for those new ones coming in," said Dianne Mercer Sauve, director of the Animal Care and Control Division.
Each year, thousands of dogs, cats, pigs, raccoons, horses, birds and even emus pass through the doors of the animal shelter. Some will be adopted. Most will not. Every animal that enters the facility gets five days. Pet adoption advocates say there's been a rise in the number of animals being abandoned. "It's really terrible," said Jeannette Christos, founder of the Tri County Humane Society, which advocates for pet adoption. "Every day
when we come to work, people tie animals to our fence. With the economy the way it is, that contributes to it." She would like to see people keep their animals. "I can never, ever see how anybody could abandon their animal. It's just sad," she said. Animals at the county shelter that show signs of aggression or have bitten before have little chance of adoption and are quickly put on the death list. Officials euthanize as many as 50 animals a day. When county officials built the old shelter 15 years ago, they did not expect it would outgrow the building. In April, county commissioners passed a $1.6 million improvement plan to replace three kennels that had deteriorated and the incinerator. They replaced the incinerator and plan to have the rest of the facility finished next month. The new incinerator replaced equipment built in 1990. It was too small for the workload and ran all day and at nights. The new incinerator is adjacent to the old one, which was in the back of the shelter. "It literally was just rusting apart and not very efficient," Sauve said. (story by C. Ron Allen, South Florida Sun-Sentinel).
Commentary: Very sad that so many people who buy pets do not make a lifetime commitment to these helpless animals. Let's face it, how many people sell their Playstations, TV, etc., before they are down to getting rid of their pets? Sadly, the dog, cat, or other pet is often the first one to be sacrificed when financial problems arise in a household.
Palm Beach County Animal Care and Control offices Friday and turned in his dog because it was terrorizing his neighborhood. After a computerized background check on the dog, the two parted. What the pit bull didn't know was that he had joined "the list" of animals to be euthanized, then cremated, within days at the county's new $80,000 incinerator. With the pet population soaring, the shelter on Belvedere Road, west of West Palm Beach, has almost doubled its capacity. A lack of space in an old, smaller building forced officials to make life-and-death decisions. "We have nearly 30,000 animals coming in each year, and the old place was built for 17,000. So, if you have no space, a certain number has to be put to sleep every day to make room for those new ones coming in," said Dianne Mercer Sauve, director of the Animal Care and Control Division.Each year, thousands of dogs, cats, pigs, raccoons, horses, birds and even emus pass through the doors of the animal shelter. Some will be adopted. Most will not. Every animal that enters the facility gets five days. Pet adoption advocates say there's been a rise in the number of animals being abandoned. "It's really terrible," said Jeannette Christos, founder of the Tri County Humane Society, which advocates for pet adoption. "Every day
when we come to work, people tie animals to our fence. With the economy the way it is, that contributes to it." She would like to see people keep their animals. "I can never, ever see how anybody could abandon their animal. It's just sad," she said. Animals at the county shelter that show signs of aggression or have bitten before have little chance of adoption and are quickly put on the death list. Officials euthanize as many as 50 animals a day. When county officials built the old shelter 15 years ago, they did not expect it would outgrow the building. In April, county commissioners passed a $1.6 million improvement plan to replace three kennels that had deteriorated and the incinerator. They replaced the incinerator and plan to have the rest of the facility finished next month. The new incinerator replaced equipment built in 1990. It was too small for the workload and ran all day and at nights. The new incinerator is adjacent to the old one, which was in the back of the shelter. "It literally was just rusting apart and not very efficient," Sauve said. (story by C. Ron Allen, South Florida Sun-Sentinel).Commentary: Very sad that so many people who buy pets do not make a lifetime commitment to these helpless animals. Let's face it, how many people sell their Playstations, TV, etc., before they are down to getting rid of their pets? Sadly, the dog, cat, or other pet is often the first one to be sacrificed when financial problems arise in a household.
Solutions? Personally, I think that half the Puppy Mills should be closed down, and that the sales of dogs should include a major tax to fund the upkeep of abandoned animals. All dog and other larger animal sales should be registered, and the owners should be required to get an annual check-up and tag for these dogs, cats, etc. There needs to be accountability for pet owners. There also should be tax breaks for people that have pets, and less restrictions against pet owners for rental homes and apartments. How many people that are getting their homes foreclosed are moving into an apartment that does not allow any pets?? What do you think?? It is very sad that an endless amount of innocent creatures are dying and being let down by their owners. After all, God created all creatures, not just humans.
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