Something neds to be done!! (Mission, Pleasanton: homes, universities, taxes)

[CyVaquero]

Originally Posted by Bo

The county's more strapped for resources than the city is. You really think they'd do worse?

County won't answer after 5pm, and BCSD won't respond unless someone is bitten. I posted something about this a few months back when a heavily manged chihuahua mix was sniffing around my property (my girls found it), due to health concerns for our own pets and no effective way to contain the dog I called the county out of concern for its welfare - basically told nothing can be done. Luckily someone came along who could take it in.

The problem for the the city is, if they are full - what can they do? It sounds heartless but if there is no more room, there is no more room. Contrary to what people may think, my experience with ACS is that they are manned with staff and volunteers who really care about the animals. I've seen some really hard knock cases that are getting some of the best medical care they can. But ACS can only do so much with limited funds and facilities.

[WilGar]

I am certain that ACS has caring and compassionate people. The city leaders beat on their chests about being a no kill city.

Why do they not build larger facilities?

If we can afford "Haven for Hope" for people who, for the most part, have put themselves into a position to need this facility, why not care for animals who are innocent victims of some human's problem?

[ggeorgie]

Well, I got a response saying my email was forwarded to ACS field operations/management supervisor (fancy titles) office. "They will be providing an answer to your request." Of course, I haven't heard anything back from them.

One of the times when I called "311" the lady I spoke to said it's much worse than you think. A.C.S. does not cover Bexar County, Balconey Heights, Leon valley. She went on to tell me she gets calls form people in Bexar county to pick up a dog, and she told them ACS can't, the caller told her then I will just go dump it in S.A.. she said she gets calls like that daily.
Well, as I fed two of the strays on the lawn of Mission Concepcion this morning, there was a tour bus filled with tourists watching me feed the strays. That is just a wonderful image of San Antonio heritage.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by WilGar

I am certain that ACS has caring and compassionate people. The city leaders beat on their chests about being a no kill city.

Why do they not build larger facilities?

If we can afford "Haven for Hope" for people who, for the most part, have put themselves into a position to need this facility, why not care for animals who are innocent victims of some human's problem?

Larger facilities won't really fix the problem. We could build huge warehouses and house all the unwanted pets in the city and they'd still be unwanted and unloved...is there really any point for an animal to live out its entire life in a shelter? Maybe we need to go back to having a kill shelter...let people know that their unwanted animals will be put down, not lovingly cared for and adopted out to a perfect family. Maybe then people would try harder not to produce unwanted litters, or to care for their pets.

I think if free spay and neuter services were made accessible for all pets in Bexar county, not just certain zip codes or families on public assistance, that would help a lot. Some people are just too cheap to do it if it's not free.

I have a neighbor who lets her dog run free and every time the dog gets pregnant the neighbor is shocked. "The dog went and got pregnant again, why would she want to do that?" Um, because she can't help it unless you care enough to get her spayed.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

It seems like the stray problem is more prevalent on certain sides of town. I never used to see packs of dogs roaming the streets when I lived on the north side, and very rarely even saw a single stray or loose dog. I moved to the far west side and it didn't take long for me to find out why people in the neighborhood carry a bat or a stick when they're out for a walk. There are big packs of dogs that live in the ditches around here.

I wonder if more animals are abandoned out here or there are more strays on the north side than there used to be...maybe the city quit picking up everywhere.

Some areas are known dumping grounds. I'm fairly sure it's not my neighbors dumping their dogs, but we get a new influx of "strays" all the time - dogs clearly formerly belonging to humans, and i highly doubt they're run-aways. Proximity to the river is a factor, but we just get tons. The neighborhood has a fund (they take donations and apply for grants) and a deal with SNAP to provide spay/neuter and shots to rescues. For cats it's a trap-neuter-release program. The fund has helped a ton, but it's a never ending battle.

[Hedgehog_Mom]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Some areas are known dumping grounds. I'm fairly sure it's not my neighbors dumping their dogs, but we get a new influx of "strays" all the time - dogs clearly formerly belonging to humans, and i highly doubt they're run-aways. Proximity to the river is a factor, but we just get tons. The neighborhood has a fund (they take donations and apply for grants) and a deal with SNAP to provide spay/neuter and shots to rescues. For cats it's a trap-neuter-release program. The fund has helped a ton, but it's a never ending battle.

We get a bunch here too...I used to bring them all home with me, get their shots and get them fixed and find them homes, but it got too expensive and it's hard on my own dogs always having extra dogs.

[Lodestar 77]

Quote: I have a neighbor who lets her dog run free and every time the dog gets pregnant the neighbor is shocked. "The dog went and got pregnant again, why would she want to do that?" Unquote.

Unbelievable. SMH. This takes ignorance to a whole new level.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by Hedgehog_Mom

I think if free spay and neuter services were made accessible for all pets in Bexar county, not just certain zip codes or families on public assistance, that would help a lot. Some people are just too cheap to do it if it's not free.

Free means tax subsidized - someone has to pay for spaying and neutering these animals. Owning a pet is not a right, it is a privilege - why would everyone pay taxes for someone to get their animal fixed. In my experience, people who cannot afford to fix their pet, lose the pet at first sign of necessary medical expense since they cannot afford it or will not want to spend the money.

[Chaka]

Originally Posted by ognend

Free means tax subsidized - someone has to pay for spaying and neutering these animals. Owning a pet is not a right, it is a privilege - why would everyone pay taxes for someone to get their animal fixed. In my experience, people who cannot afford to fix their pet, lose the pet at first sign of necessary medical expense since they cannot afford it or will not want to spend the money.

Well, and that's the problem, they don't fix them. And/or they release them. Not good for the community. I'd rather pay towards a central fund to get them all spay/neutered to fight the problem. And we do, The Cannoli Fund is a local program in Southtown which does just that, fundraising, grant writing, and making huge efforts to trap/fix/foster animals. Mostly it's managed by a few people, with the help of people in the community. Unfortunately, it's a never ending battle.

For ACS, the zip codes for free spay/neuter are 78201, 78202, 78203, 78204, 78207, 78208, 78210, 78211, 78212, 78214, 78215, 78218, 78220, 78221, 78222, 78223, 78224, 78225, 78227, 78228, 78237, 78242, & 78250.

[ognend]

Originally Posted by Chaka

Well, and that's the problem, they don't fix them. And/or they release them. Not good for the community. I'd rather pay towards a central fund to get them all spay/neutered to fight the problem. And we do, The Cannoli Fund is a local program in Southtown which does just that, fundraising, grant writing, and making huge efforts to trap/fix/foster animals. Mostly it's managed by a few people, with the help of people in the community. Unfortunately, it's a never ending battle.

For ACS, the zip codes for free spay/neuter are 78201, 78202, 78203, 78204, 78207, 78208, 78210, 78211, 78212, 78214, 78215, 78218, 78220, 78221, 78222, 78223, 78224, 78225, 78227, 78228, 78237, 78242, & 78250.

Yup. My wife was a staff vet in a country shelter when we lived in South Florida. The county spent copious amounts of tax money to perpetually allow a bunch of people who clearly could not afford pets - to own pets. Guess what? Many of these animals either came back as surrenders as soon as the first unexpected vet bill came or they slowly found their way back to the streets.