PAWS for Action – Next Steps
To run 11/8/15
A couple of months ago the Opelika City Council responded to citizens’ concerns regarding the animal
control contract. Opelika citizens and others filled the room at two consecutive city council meetings to
advocate for companion animals in the hopes of securing more positive outcomes for them in the new
fiscal year.
What got everyone’s attention is that the City of Opelika considered moving the animal control contract
to two local veterinarians who are already contracting with Lee County to provide these services. The
problem is that their track record on outcomes is dire. Lee County Humane Society, on the other hand,
has a track record of securing live outcomes for the vast majority of the animals they take in.
It always comes down to money. While our local veterinarians charge the hefty fee of $85 per animal
intake the overall annual cost is lower than Lee County Humane Society because not as many animals
are turned in to the veterinarians. Part of the reason is due to confusion regarding what to do with
strays. For the past 40 years everyone knew that Lee County Humane Society would take in stray
animals. But there is another issue. Citizens do not want to bring animals to a holding facility where a
live outcome is unlikely.
This past Wednesday I met with a group of local animal welfare advocates. Some of these folks have
decades of experience in local and state wide rescue and animal welfare politics. For some of us
newcomers it can seem like we are not making progress. Spend a couple of hours with those who have
been in the trenches for years and you learn that conditions for animals were decidedly worse 20 years
ago, and that we have, in fact, come a long way.
Our conversation the other night was informed and lively. The knowledge and energy is here in Opelika
and Auburn if we can channel it constructively to effect change and if local government desires to focus
on the possibilities that exist and try strategies that have proven successful in other parts of the country.
A well-known local veterinarian, who contracts to provide animal holding services to Lee County, spoke
at the city council meeting I referred to earlier. He made the point that the problem is not an animal
problem, it is a people problem. He believes people should not have more animals than they can afford
to care for.
If it were this simple the problem would have been solved by now. In reality, those who take in stray
and unwanted animals, whether or not they can afford it, are compassionate individuals. They are
compelled to do whatever they can to stop the suffering they see all around them.
The real problem is the lack of economic and geographic access to spay/neuter and basic wellness
services in Alabama. In fact, it is the veterinarians themselves who have fought so hard to block
legislation that would cure this ill.
Fully half of all pets in the U.S. never see a veterinarian and the primary reason is cost. Too many people
cannot afford to spend $300 it costs to spay their dog. This affects more than those on public
assistance. It affects the working poor. And if a family has more than one dog or cat a full price
veterinarian is out of the question.
There are solutions to the problem of pet overpopulation that have proven effective in other parts of
the country. In fact these solutions are proving effective right across the Georgia border, in Columbus.
The spay/neuter legislation that has been championed by Rep. Patricia Todd these past four years
appears to be dead in the water. But we haven’t given up. In fact, we are going to come back with
something even better.
Bobbi Yeo lives in Opelika, AL. She is the CEO of PAWS Humane in Columbus, GA, an animal shelter and
veterinary clinic offering low-cost spay/neuter and other services to the public. Email her at
[email protected] with your comments and story ideas.