No county for old dogs

By Heather Killen

Spectator

NovaNewsNow.com

Some wonder if the Kings County SPCA is funding a white elephant, while other groups cover the cost of rescuing unwanted pets.

After failing to get help for three dogs that were tied outside and neglected by their owner, a Valley man reached the end of his tether and stormed into Leo Glavine’s MLA office demanding help for the animals.

The man told Glavine’s office staff that he made multiple calls to authorities in Kings County and was frustrated by the lack of action. Glavine’s office referred him to Homeless Animal Rescue Team (HART).

A group of HART volunteers assembled and paid a visit to the dogs’ owner, in hopes of retrieving them. The owner was cooperative and voluntarily gave up the animals with no problem.

“The dogs were so thirsty, they were drinking the puddles dry,” said Anthony Watton, a HART volunteer. “One was tied and two were housed in a kennel, all three were badly neglected.”

The animals were frail, starved, and anemic, he said. Patches of fur were missing and their skin was so irritated by fleas the vet advised against bathing the dogs until they'd put on weight, according to Watton.

There is no municipally funded shelter in Kings, or Annapolis counties. The Kings County SPCA has finished construction on a facility in Waterville, but SPCA officials say they need a significant influx of funding in order to open the doors. “People have 911 to call when they’re in crisis, animals shouldn’t have to wait three days for help to arrive,” Watton said. “When someone finally gets the guts to report an abuse case, they want to talk to a person, not leave a message on a machine.”

Dogs picked up by the animal control officers are temporarily held at the pound. Adoptable dogs are fostered and found new homes by volunteers with the Kings County SPCA and the Companion Animal Protection Society of Annapolis County(CAPS).

CAPS, the SPCA, HART and a Wolfville-based shelter that operates out of the animal hospital are all volunteer-based organizations that accept cats, space permitting.

Laurie Wheeler, president of HART, said that when she was called to rescue the dogs, she didn't know what she could do with them. She kept them in her garage over night, until she could send them to the TLC Shelter in Digby.

“We have three foster homes to care for cats, but we aren’t equipped to take dogs,” she said. "We'll look after the vet bills, and TLC will take care of them until they find homes."

This is the fourth emergency rescue for HART this month. The last cat rescue was reported after an injured animal was seen for several days behind the Iron Pot Tavern in Kingston. The little black cat was emaciated and walking on three legs as a front paw was caught in his collar.

Upon closer inspection, Wheeler was horrified to see the collar was embedded in the cat's neck and there was a gaping wound under his shoulder. She has helped more than 100 cats, kittens, and rabbits since she founded HART in February.

"Go into any trailer court and there's a group of abandoned cats," she said. People often leave cats behind when they move. The metro branch of the SPCA recently appealed to Valley groups to take in two cats that had been abandoned in a Halifax apartment building.

Wheeler began doing rescue work with Safe Haven, a Berwick-based shelter, 18 months ago. She decided to start her own group earlier this year and has since been getting an average of about 100 calls a week.

Wheeler’s weekly vet bill averages about $1200. She receives no funding and relies completely on donations and the proceeds of fundraisers such as weekly yard sales and dinners. Despite the group’s fundraising and public’s generosity, the group’s biggest challenge is staying ahead of the bills.

Escalating vet bills forced Berwick-based Safe Haven rescue to suspend its services after three years. Melissa Lee, Safe Haven founder, said she helped about 300 cats find homes and if she continued to work as before, her vet bill would now be in the vicinity of $10,000.

Jill Brideau, a volunteer with an Annapolis-based Trap-Neuter-Return program said that she feels that the municipality, the province and the Kings County SPCA should be doing more to support volunteers like Wheeler, at least until the new SPCA shelter is open in Waterville.

"She is doing their job," she said. "They should be helping her to pay the bills."

Brideau added that while vets treat the animals at a reduced rate, the bills still quickly escalate, and the cost of providing the service eventually becomes daunting for volunteer groups to maintain.

HART met with MLA Leo Glavine last week in hopes of securing emergency funding from the province to help cover vet costs. Glavine said that in recent months he has been getting an increasing number of animal welfare calls.

“I’ve been getting enough of these calls to see the need here is desperate,” he said. “It’s not a typical call that I would expect to get as an MLA.”

Glavine said that while the SPCA is a well-respected organization with a long history in the province, more must be done to address the critical situations when they arise in Kings County.

“Rescue groups are springing up to fill the deficit in animal welfare services,” he said. “Animal control is overwhelmed and

as more people experience economic hardship, more will be viewing pets as unnecessary expenses.”

Glavine said that he recently met with officials from the local branch of the SPCA to discuss the future of the Waterville facility and was told that it would require a significant annual contribution in order to be operational over the long term.

“Without a substantial operating grant from the municipality, the future of that facility is looking very uncertain,” he said. “I’m a bit worried that we may have a white elephant on our hands.”

He added that in addition to not functionally serving its purpose to help and house animals, the empty building is a potential liability and an easy target for vandals.

Glavine said in light of the growing need for animal welfare service, the public needs to decide how animal calls are handled in the county, and that it should become an election issue for municipal candidates. He is also urging the Kings County SPCA to hold a public meeting to discuss the future of the facility.

HART is hosting a fundraising dinner at the Royal Canadian Legion in Annapolis Royal on September 13. The menu features Italian cuisine and tickets are $10 per person and available at the door. For more information call 847-9582, or visit www.valleyhart.com