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By JACK BERNARD, Special to The Citizen
“Interact Club brings together young people ages 12-18 to develop leadership skills while discovering the power of Service Above Self.”- Fayette Interact mission statement
Rotary does a lot for our community, much of it under the radar via financial support of local charitable enterprises. One such organization is “Interact Club,” which is run through the Fayette School system and serves youth 12-18. Interact engages in 2 or more service projects every year.
In the past, they have done such things as “Leap for Literacy. McIntosh Interact Club was able to raise funds through a fundraising effort that they called “Leap for Literacy,” raising $3,000 and sponsoring speakers who spoke on stress management, youth mental health and leadership.
In 2024, one of the McIntosh Interact Club’s admirable objectives is to raise money for pet supplies for Royal Animal Refuge of Tyrone. This effort includes dog and puppy food and treats.
Also, the Club will be purchasing toys, pee pads and paper towels. Direct shipping of supplies is also appreciated.
As a former County Commissioner in another Georgia county, I have more experience with animal control than most Georgians. The problems with the Fayette Animal Control Center have been discussed at length in other columns (https://thecitizen.com/2024/06/03/the-fayette-county-animal-shelter-debacle-continues/ ). So, I would like to digress from PTC and Fayette and talk about the topic of unadopted dogs and cats in a broader statewide sense.
No state agency compiles the number of pets killed in Georgia each year. Theoretically, each county supposedly keeps this data. Based on my experience the accuracy of these numbers is questionable. When is the last time that you saw such data published? You have not — because the public outrage would be significant if accurate numbers were released.
County commissioners are also at fault. Centers are often overcrowded, understaffed and poorly managed. So, the animals are left on their own.
Some people like to use the term euthanasia for terminating the life of an unwanted former pet. I don’t … I call it what it is: killing an abandoned or lost pet.
Some counties are “no kill,” with adoptions as their focus. This is humane … and very costly for counties with limited budgets. Therefore, most Georgia counties have a policy that after a certain period of time, animals will be killed and cremated.
Theoretically, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDOA) regulates these shelters. But no state agency, including GDOA, keeps up with the number of pets killed in Georgia by county Animal Control Departments. Instead, because of the public outrage if the numbers were released by the state, each county supposedly keeps this data. And never releases it.
Also, based on my experience as a County Commissioner elsewhere, the accuracy of these numbers is questionable. At least one head of that county Animal Control Center just told us what we wanted to hear, not the facts.
In many counties, county commissioners are also at fault. Centers are often understaffed. In my rural former county, three of our five commissioners (both Democrats and Republicans) refused to adequately staff our center. All said they were animal lovers but that the county could not afford the expense and somehow non-existent “volunteers” should help.
So, the animals were left on their own a significant part of the time, especially on weekends. After all, the animals couldn’t write a letter of complaint, could they?
So, what should be done about this deplorable situation? For starters, Governor Kemp and/or the General Assembly should appoint a “Shelter Committee” made up of prominent citizens, including politicians on both sides of the aisle, to recommend specific ways to reduce the deplorable killing of our dogs and cats.
Possible remedies to improve the overall situation … using that multi-billion-dollar state surplus Kemp brags about … would include:
• State funding for animal shelters;
• Improved standards, regulation and code enforcement by GDOA;
• Mandated monthly reports by county shelters to GDOA regarding the number of animals in each shelter and the number put down;
• Identifying shelter best practices, including that shelters must be manned at all times; and
• State laws regarding neutering/spaying.
It is not that hard to improve the living conditions of unwanted dogs and cats. It just takes the will to do it.
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