2008 Woodie Awards
San Antonio improves pound, encourages student volunteers
Guest Column
Denise Pope
Issue date: 9/29/06 Section: Opinion
"The greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its animals." - Mahatma Gandhi
While you may complain about the "Trinity cats," you may not be aware that this is not a problem confined to Trinity. They are not attracted to the red brick and the manicured lawns or even the free food; rather, they are a symptom of a city that is overrun with stray animals.
At the end of 2004, this issue was brought to the public's attention by the San Antonio Express-News in a series of articles that exposed the situation at the city's Animal Care Services facility (ACS, AKA "the pound", located just minutes from Trinity's campus on the other side of 281). At that time, the facility was using an outmoded method of euthanasia (gas) to put down animals at an astounding rate - euthanizing more animals per capita than any other city in the United States. Animals were sometimes euthanized before the customary waiting period to allow them to be claimed.
Furthermore, over 50 percent of the animals brought into the pound by animal control officers ("dog catchers") were "owner surrenders," meaning that pet owners who weren't able, or were simply unwilling, to care for their pets relied on the city to essentially "dispose" of them. The pound was in the business of dispatching unwanted animals rather than practicing a sane and humane strategy for solving the stray animal problem.
Fortunately, these news reports led many citizens to pressure the city to improve the situation. These efforts focused on solving immediate problems (such as changing to a more humane euthanasia method and putting an end to "owner surrenders"), as well as addressing the root causes of the stray animal problem in San Antonio: encouraging pet owners to have their pets spayed and neutered and to not allow them to roam free.
The equation is obvious: unaltered animals + free reign of the neighborhood = lots of new kittens and puppies. These new animals are often unwanted and simply add to the stray animal population (like the cats on Trinity's campus).
While you may complain about the "Trinity cats," you may not be aware that this is not a problem confined to Trinity. They are not attracted to the red brick and the manicured lawns or even the free food; rather, they are a symptom of a city that is overrun with stray animals.
At the end of 2004, this issue was brought to the public's attention by the San Antonio Express-News in a series of articles that exposed the situation at the city's Animal Care Services facility (ACS, AKA "the pound", located just minutes from Trinity's campus on the other side of 281). At that time, the facility was using an outmoded method of euthanasia (gas) to put down animals at an astounding rate - euthanizing more animals per capita than any other city in the United States. Animals were sometimes euthanized before the customary waiting period to allow them to be claimed.
Furthermore, over 50 percent of the animals brought into the pound by animal control officers ("dog catchers") were "owner surrenders," meaning that pet owners who weren't able, or were simply unwilling, to care for their pets relied on the city to essentially "dispose" of them. The pound was in the business of dispatching unwanted animals rather than practicing a sane and humane strategy for solving the stray animal problem.
Fortunately, these news reports led many citizens to pressure the city to improve the situation. These efforts focused on solving immediate problems (such as changing to a more humane euthanasia method and putting an end to "owner surrenders"), as well as addressing the root causes of the stray animal problem in San Antonio: encouraging pet owners to have their pets spayed and neutered and to not allow them to roam free.
The equation is obvious: unaltered animals + free reign of the neighborhood = lots of new kittens and puppies. These new animals are often unwanted and simply add to the stray animal population (like the cats on Trinity's campus).
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Martha Morgan
posted 9/29/06 @ 2:50 PM CST
Free reign? Not free rein? The editor did it!
Editors, reporters, Tiger Woods, parents, in fact, any number of human beings, will never be perfect. (Continued…)
sAN aNTOniO mOVErs
posted 1/07/09 @ 5:18 PM CST
The greatness of a nation can be judged by how it treats its animals.
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