County doesn’t need to go back to pre-1978 days
In 1978, a meeting was held in the city hall building to discuss the need for a Humane Society in Warren County. McMinnville residents had recently become aware of the deplorable conditions of the dog pound, and some concerned citizens decided a change was in order.
Mayor Franklin Blue, Melba Bonner, Chandra Martin, Paul Mahar, Joyce Drake and myself, along with a few others, met with city officials to voice our concerns. We became the founding members of this organization, and so, the Humane Society became a reality.
Through the years, the Humane Society Animal Shelter has undergone many changes — changes in the location, changes in personnel, and changes in Humane Society officers.
Unfortunately, there has been little change in the amount of funding allotted for the animal shelter.
As one of the Humane Society’s former presidents, I can recall how we struggled to get by on a minimal amount of funds, how we struggled to take care of expenses while trying to orchestrate fundraising projects that never were enough. Sometimes, we seemed to do rather well, but nothing was ever solid. We were always begging the county for more money.
Now, here the Humane Society is 26 years later, facing the same dilemma that it has faced each year, not enough operating money.
I hear the term “nonprofit” agency used often. And I hear the animal shelter compared to other nonprofits. In other words, if the county donates X amount of dollars to one nonprofit group, how can they reason the animal shelter should get more?
Having worked several years for a nonprofit organization funded by the county and city, I understand how all of these groups need funds for operation. But, some nonprofit agencies serve a small percentage of the community. If one looks at what the animal shelter does, you will realize this group serves a large part of the community.
Animal shelter personnel handle 911 calls relating to dog bites, or altercations between neighbors (regarding dogs). The shelter takes in sick and injured animals, animals that might otherwise cause harm to city and county residents.
Over the years, the shelter has housed thousands of animals, who if left on their own might have killed livestock or pets. And these animals, if left to breed indiscriminately, would have caused an overpopulation of dogs and cats like Warren County has never seen. Then there are the animals people decide they don’t want anymore, for whatever reason, who are taken to the shelter, and are either adopted or euthanized.
You don’t have to be an animal lover to realize what a benefit an animal shelter is to a community. Now, without an animal shelter, other county offices, such as the health department and sheriff’s department, may be called upon to take care of animal-related problems.
It appears the county is debating whether to incorporate the shelter into a county-run facility. If this happens, my hope is they will still understand the need for a Humane Society, and will work with its officers in taking care of animals in the best possible conditions. My greatest fear is we might return to pre-1978, when there was no Humane Society, and animals were treated inhumanely.
I hope all county commissioners will research this entire situation, and at their August meeting, will be prepared to make informed decisions.
Sincerely,
Linda Newman Greene
136 Newman Lane