Downeast Dog News June 2010 : Page 1
A paper for people who love dogs Downeast Dog News DowneastDogNews.com Volume 5 • Issue 6 • June 2010 is coming! June 11 - 13 in Rockland June 25 - 27 in Scarborough I sDNI e 4 2 6 7 12 13 “Hot Dog” News The Loss of a Pet Dock Dogs Basic Training Tips Dogs for Adoption Calendar of events by Chelsea Reid Little is known about Princess, the mother of Bell and Barney, two month old puppies that were transported to Maine from the South to escape being euthanized at a high kill shelter. It’s impossible to determine what sort of treatment Princess suffered through or watched any of her previous litters bear. The organization that saved her only knows she was dropped off pregnant and in poor health after being abandoned, left by those who couldn’t care for her or taken from an abusive situation. At the shelter, which struggled to contend with the number of dogs delivered, the fate of Princess and her puppies neared a dismal end before they were rescued and made the nearly 24-hour trip north to find a home. Princess and her young pups are among the hundreds rescued by organizations based in the South that partner with various animal welfare groups in New England states where the chances of being adopted are significantly greater. High kill shelters do not have the resources or room to keep up with the large volume of animals brought in. The National Council on Pet Population and Policy performed studies which reflected that an average of 56.5% shelter dogs end up being euthanized. Shelters in Georgia even resort to using gas to dispense with large numbers—a procedure which was recently banned, but will not legally come to an end until next year. Bell and Barney are three of eighteen puppies that were brought to the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society in Lewiston in the last month. The animal shelter has taken in 107 Southern dogs since January, the majority of which were puppies. They work with organizations including the Puppy Pipeline in Georgia, which has saved over 1,500 puppies since it started in 2007, and CanINE Express Transport Project out of Indiana, which has saved over 5,500 dogs by transferring them to New England since 2004. Zach Black, senior animal technician at the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society, commented that families in Maine looking specifically for puppies are glad to have the opportunity to get them through rescue organizations. Black said, “There’s a high demand for puppies here, and they also bring in a lot of foot traffic. People come in just to look at the puppies, and often end up going home with an older dog or a cat.” He went on to note that the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society does not euthanize dogs due to lack of space, the problem at so many shelters in the South. The number of young puppies born in New England that ends up at shelters is fortunately low in comparison to Southern states. This is due largely to successful efforts to educate pet owners and fund initiatives to spay and neuter dogs. Other states are working to improve their conditions and follow the good example set in New England through programs such as Maine’s Companion Animal Sterilization Fund which assists low income pet owners with getting their dogs and cats fixed. Cathi Eagan, founder of CanINE Express Transport Project, believes the situation in places like Indiana in regards to pet overpopulation is getting better. “We have four low-cost spay/neuter clinics in the area with two more opening in the fall, and in 2011, a bill may be introduced that will initiate a state-run spay/neuter incentive program,” she said. “We have already begun to see a decrease in the litters of puppies being born. All of us hope that through massive spay and neuter efforts that eventually this transport won’t be needed.” In see Rescue on page 14 S Support... the dog community mile... if you love dogs Southern Puppies Rescued in New England Subscribe... to Downeast Dog News subscription form on page 15 or subscribe online www.downeastdognews.com P.O. Box 725 Poland, Maine 04274 (207) 998-2605 Free
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