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Old August 8th, 2005, 09:40 AM
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lezzpezz lezzpezz is offline
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Join Date: Aug 2004
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Heartbreaking letter just released to the press Re: ACC

How much to kill the doggie in the window?
Author: News Hound
Dated: Friday, August 05 2005 @ 09:56 AM EDT
Viewed: 64 times

The next meeting of the Companion Animal Welfare Task Force is August 9 at 4 pm in City Hall.

About two years ago the London Free Press ran a series of articles leading to a petition to stop the inhumane treatment, euthanasia, and uncaring attitude at the London city pound. As a result, the City of London agreed to strike a task force and examine the issue.

As is par for the course, the majority on city council spent a year dragging their heels and then finally gave a task force six months to study the issue beginning this past April.

The report now being released by one of the task force subcommittees, is devastating. As bad as you might have thought it was, its worse. No wonder the City didn't want anyone to see their contract with London Animal Control.

Over 1 million dollars a year is spent on a private company, but no requirement that they do anything for animals but hold them for four days before killing -- the four days is a Provincial requirement.

On top of that, the Animal Control pockets half of the close to $900,000 in revenues raised each year for pet licenses.

If Animal Control is called out to investigate a dog bite, they are paid extra. The city also pays for the vehicles they use and the fuel consumed.

With all this money flowing one might think the pound would be a palace full of happy animals. Forget it.

If you find a stray mother cat and kittens and call Animal Control, the cats will sit in a cage for four days. Then the mother will be transferred to another cage that squeezes together. Once she can't move, she gets a puncture to the belly and then her life is over. No sedative. The squeeze cage is cheaper. Her kittens don't fare any better. After all, they are "wild" and can't be adopted.

This isn't necessary. Other cities do not let someone make a profit on their pound. Other cities own their pounds, or have them run by a nonprofit, and put all the money into helping animals. What is wrong with London?

It's not more humane to kill these animals than to let them live and face a dangerous world. And killing them doesn't solve the problem of too many dogs and cats. That's an old idea and its bunk. If it worked, why are we still doing it?

There's plenty of money around. Dog and cat licenses alone raise $880,000 every year. Why is the city pushing these licenses when the money just goes to profits for a private company?

Why doesn't some of the money go to spay and neuter these animals, and shelter them until someone adopts them? Many of the cats are friendly pets that were abandoned. Sadly, they are often abandoned right before they have kittens, just when they need a home the most.

Board of Control will just renew the contract for another 5 years unless there is enough noise that it is time to do things differently. That means in 2010, 8 million dollars will have been spent, 10,000 cats and dogs killed, and London will be in the exact same position we are in today.

The next meeting of the Companion Animal Welfare Task Force is August 9 at 4 pm in City Hall.


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