The Utahns who care for thousands of lost and stray pets each year are on a crusade. They want to eliminate the need for euthanasia for any animal by the year 2001.
Officials from Salt Lake County Animal Services, Best Friends Animal Sanctuary, the Humane Society of Utah and Wasatch Humane, participated in a press conference Saturday morning in the Center Court at Fashion Place Mall in Murray.More than 28,000 dogs and cats were euthanized last year in Utah simply because there were no homes available for them. The carnage is unacceptable, and officials have pledged to work together to put an end to it, said to Gregory Castle, who heads special projects for Best Friends, headquartered in Kanab.
Before the press briefing began, county animal services director Peggy Hinnen said progress is being made on all fronts in reducing the number of pets euthanized and increasing the level of responsibility within the community.
Taxpayers, pet owners and the public in general all win when the number of available pets and euthanasia are reduced, she said.
"We exist because of animal problems in the community, which are primarily a result of irresponsible attitudes among the public," said Hinnen.
"Any euthanasia of a healthy, socialized pet is a tremendous waste of life and a black mark on our society," she said.
Animal welfare officials say control programs are expensive to operate because of the number of employees required.
For example, Salt Lake County Animal Services' 1997 budget is $2.9 million, with approximately 50 percent of that amount going to pay the cost of animal control officers responding to citizen complaints. The agency, which has 50 employees, serves Salt Lake City and County, Midvale and Taylors-ville. The organization handled approximately 16,000 animals last year.
"While animal control will probably never be completely out of business, our goal is to be there to answer the needs within the community for euthanasia of injured, sick or old pets," Hinnen said.
"We no longer want to be the facility where roaming pets come and we cannot get them home, where perfectly healthy puppies and kittens as well as adult dogs and cats are euthanized just because no one came to look for them or because there just isn't a home available for them," she said.
Cheryl Smith, Wasatch Humane executive director, suggests that Utahns adopt their next pet from a shelter rather than buying one from a breeder or getting one free from a neighbor or friend.
"When you make the commitment to get a pet, be responsible by keeping it for its entire lifetime rather than getting rid of it at the first sign of a problem or when you have to move," Smith says.
Residents looking for a new pet are urged to check local public and private shelters.