Shelter news sad, but not surprising

News this week that the Animal Shelter for Huntsville will permanently close its door is sad but not surprising.
The writing has been on the wall for quite some time. Volunteer and not-for-profit organizations are suffering everywhere, and the animal shelter is no exception.
Through the years the shelter has deteriorated.
Overrun by cats, the stench coming out of that room was at times unbearable.
That number of cats enclosed in one area is not healthy. It breeds disease. It was therefore no wonder that when one of our own staff members decided to adopt a cat at the shelter, she was unpleasantly surprised. Unbeknownst to her, the feline population had a virus that had spread from cat to cat. By the time she found out about this minor detail, her family had grown endeared to their new addition, and true to form, their love was unconditional.
They have managed to cope with the virus and we’re sure if their new cat could speak, he would thank the family for giving him a loving home and loving him despite his health.
As for the animal shelter, we’re all responsible for its demise.
There are the awful fly by night pet owners, too cheap to get their dogs or cats spayed or neutered, hence our unwanted pet population grows. They drop the kittens at the shelter door under the cover of night and never to look back. They never think of the repercussions on the shelter, its need for more volunteers and funds to keep feeding the animals it takes under its wings.
Then again, the veterinarian community here has not made getting your pets spayed or neutered easy. There are no discount clinics here like there are in other areas.
In terms of management and some staff at the shelter, some seemed downright militant and it appeared to make it hard to turn things around. Every time a new sheriff entered the shelter with his or her sleeves rolled up, the opposition was so intense many left town.
Then there were issues with the town, and a valuable contract was lost, making the shelter’s financial situation worse.
In the end, the demise of the shelter is a dark day for Huntsville.
TdV

Small - Large
|
Print
|
Email
|
|

More Stories

A cautionary tale amid spring's rush

Take environmental warnings seriously

Taxing ganja

Police from five different units of the OPP busted a couple of middle-aged people with possession of 24 grams of weed and a pipe in Foots Bay last week. The street value of the pot was estimated to be about $240. We’re guessing that it cost a lot more than a couple of hundred bucks for officers from the Bracebridge detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police, the OPP West Parry Sound Crime Unit, the OPP Community Drug Action Team, the OPP Organized Crime Enforcement Bureau Drug Enforcement Unit and the OPP K-9 to execute the search warrant. It’s likely the search warrant alone cost more to apply for and obtain. There are levels of bureaucracy to go through, and we all know that bureaucracy is costly at every level. We don’t blame the police for wasting our money, it’s not their fault. They don’t choose which laws they’re going to enforce – that’s a job for the people making the laws. And it’s time for them to give their heads a shake. Prohibition doesn’t work; never has, never will. Sixty-five per cent of Canadians want marijuana laws changed. The earliest remains of human settlement show evidence of recreational drugs. Gorillas and apes have a taste for hallucinogens and stimulants. Primates want to get high and no government is going to stop them. Certainly there are social problems that go along with the abuse of any drug, whether it’s vodka or marijuana. Criminalizing the huge numbers of Canadians who want to smoke some herb doesn’t help solve those problems. Making headway with drug abuse will only happen when it’s treated as a health issue, rather than a legal one. We recognize that not everyone will agree with us; we expect some people to disagree vehemently. But social policy aside, this is a financial issue. It’s not just a moral issue, it’s a matter of dollars and cents. Or is that common sense? As Muskoka Algonquin Healthcare tells us, it’s a fairy tale to imagine that we will have the same level of health care services at our hospitals with an aging population; as the numbers of people requiring help from our food banks rapidly increase; as our municipality struggles to make due with significantly less funds from the province; and as our police services are straining at the seams, in part because they are dealing with more and more people with mental health issues. Something’s got to give.

Gravy train stops in Huntsville