Dear Editor,
Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage’s letter headlined
”
Animal Shelter is old, but it’s clean, friendly,
”
does not accurately address the circumstances for the animals at
the San Martin Animal Shelter. Instead, it provokes more
questions:
Dear Editor,
Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage’s letter headlined “Animal Shelter is old, but it’s clean, friendly,” does not accurately address the circumstances for the animals at the San Martin Animal Shelter. Instead, it provokes more questions:
– … “unincorporated residents can be assured that the county is not going to stop providing animal sheltering services to them.” As San Martin is considering incorporation, what would happen to the San Martin Animal Shelter?
– … the new animal shelter is “on a project list along with hundreds of other capital projects.” It is not included in the Ten Year Capital Improvement Plan, yet the San Martin Airport is included in the Ten Year Capital Improvement Plan and airport expansion is imminent. The San Martin Animal Shelter is located on the future runway, so how does the county plan to continue services with no shelter?
– The shelter is in great need of many improvements for the benefit of the animals – there is not even an x-ray machine at the facility. When is the county going to provide a well-equipped veterinary clinic at the shelter for the sick and injured animals?
– Let’s examine the statement “… more animals have been leaving the shelter alive each year since 2003.” According to the Second Quarter 2006 Status Report submitted by Animal Care and Control dated Feb. 14, 2006 (same report referenced in the letter), the number of dog killings increased three times. The increase of the number of dogs handled and the number of cat euthanasias increased, but at a slower rate compared to the population increase. Therefore, since 2003, the dog-kill rate has increased 40.97 percent and the cat-kill rate has increased 10.59 percent.
– In an effort to reduce shelter intake and high euthanasia rates, why has the county not yet enacted a mandatory ordinance that requires pet owners to spay or neuter their cats and dogs and have these pets microchipped? That would be the responsible thing to do.
– In an effort to reduce shelter intake and high euthanasia rates, why has the county not yet enacted ordinances that would eradicate back yard breeders and abolish puppy mills? County representatives must be vigilant in eliminating these most vile forms of animal abuse and cruelty.
Animals are dying because they are victims of a system that continues to fail them. Rather than surreptitiously and systematically deconstructing the animal shelter, our elected representatives should commit themselves to the re-construction of the animal shelter and animal care services for all of South County.
Evon Dumesnil, Morgan Hill
