County shelter should accept pets and adopt

I’m glad to hear the construction of a new Warren County Animal Control facility is moving forward.

I was also pleased that Rutherford County’s animal control is being used as an example of how a facility should be run. I have adopted/ rescued dogs from there for three years. The new building is great. All animals are housed indoors, where there are nice-sized runs. There is an air of warmth and you feel hopeful, rather than hopeless, about the animals’ future.

I contacted a supervisor at the Rutherford County facility, whom I have known for several years, and asked for more details about their operation. This is what I was told:

Animals with no ID are held for three days; those with an ID are held for five. After that holding period, they are moved into the ‘adoption area.” Once in adoption, there is no set time for holding. However, if their behavior changes, or if space becomes an issue, they may be euthanized.

Although the guidelines for the new Warren County facility appear to be fair, I notice there was no mention of animals being accepted from owners. Even though I don’t condone an owner randomly deciding to get rid of a pet, sometimes there are circumstances when they have no choice ? i.e., moving to a new location where a pet is not allowed, a child becoming allergic to the animal, or the death of a pet-owner.

There was also no mention of adoption within Warren County’s animal control. This is a big part of the Rutherford County organization. Dogs and cats are listed on a Petfinder site, which is overseen by a dedicated volunteer who takes pictures and writes bios of each animal. According to my source, in November 584 animals were taken in. Of those, 8 percent were reclaimed by their owners and 27 percent were adopted. Of course, many had to be euthanized, but approximately 150 lives were saved.

I foresee real problems in the future if the issues of adoption and ‘owned” dogs are not addressed in Warren County. I hope the County Commission will review the entire operation of Rutherford County’s facility, and will reach a solution that benefits the whole community, as well as the animals.
Linda Newman Greene
Newman Lane
McMinnville