Although ordinance 828 needs tweaking, it must not be swept under the rug because of outspoken citizens opposing it as observed Monday night.
The ordinance can be tweaked for dogs protecting livestock, reputable breeding establishments, and reputable hunters as well as fees. However, keep in mind that not everyone in the aforementioned groups are necessarily reputable when it comes to animals.
Fairfield County Animal Shelter is drowning financially in dog and cat capacity and the few shelter employees are overworked. Something has got to change.
I was sad to see citizens speaking so negatively about the ordinance Monday night. It is unacceptable that no one was allowed to speak in favor of the ordinance. Many who spoke used false claims and scare tactics with no balance to the claims.
First, no one is going to make people pick which of their many pets they need to euthanize. Second, funding is available for FREE shots, FREE microchips, FREE spay/neuter in this county. Third, the overcrowding of our shelters is not due mainly to “a few bad owners.” Most dogs picked up are strays with no owner to be found. That, my friends, is the result of overbreeding, perhaps the most egregious animal control problem in our county. Our animal overpopulation in Fairfield is a community problem and needs to be considered and solved by the entire community.
I was surprised how even council members made uninformed statements regarding the animals. Do they go to the shelter regularly? Do they ask for a monthly report on the number of animals brought in, adopted out, euthanized, and retrieved by owners? That might help them understand the severity of the situation.
If everyone who spoke in opposition to the Ordinance 828 revisions were to visit the shelter, they might see that our animal shelter is a world in unimaginable distress.
Many dogs are in crates with no opportunity to have outside access. The outside kennels are fine except in extreme weather. We must allow more volunteers at the shelter. The dogs are only walked on Sundays by volunteers and not all dogs get to go out during the three hours provided.
We all must take responsibility for animals in this county that cannot take care of themselves. All citizens of Fairfield County need to be concerned about loose dogs, fighting dogs, puppy mills, careless, abusive and negligent owners and demand more funding from the county government for the shelter.
The “not-in-my-backyard” attitude expressed at the council meeting doesn’t hold water in this situation. It is in our back yard. And we all have to work together do something about it.
The county must move forward in a positive way by passing a revised Ordinance 828 for the benefit of our animals.
Boo Major
Ret. Head Coach of USC Equestrian Team
Fairfield County District 2 resident