To

kill or not to kill - that is the question

when trying to decide how to handle the

overpopulation of abused and neglected pets.

Animal

lovers have been quietly working for years with

the goal of establishing a regional no-kill

animal shelter in Fayette County. It will

probably be a decade before the shelter can

become reality, admits Jeanne West, president of

The Good Shepherd Humane Society, but she says

it's a goal worthy of that kind of long range

effort.

"It's

a lot of work, but it takes visionaries to get

there," West told The Citizen, adding that

she hopes to build a shelter big enough for 100

dogs and 100 cats, possibly in phases, on a 10-

to 20-acre tract.

But

Fayette animal control director Bill Newman is

skeptical. No-kill shelters often start with the

best of intentions and end in tragedy, he said.

"These

things sound good, but they often turn into

concentration camps," he said. "They

can't spend that much time with any particular

animal, and I don't think they know how much

money and work they're talking about."

West

said she knows exactly how much money and effort

is involved, and that's why it's taking so long,

but she said Newman's fears are unfounded.

"That's

based on the fear that it's not going to be run

well," she said. That fear should be

assuaged by the fact that Good Shepherd's

Department of Agriculture inspection ratings are

always excellent, and by the fact that the group

is working methodically to put money and

resources in place to run a proper facility, she

said.

Newman

pointed to examples like the infamous Life for

God's Stray Animals, a Rockdale County no-kill

shelter that was overrun and poorly operated.

After years of bad publicity, it was eventually

shut down by authorities.

"Yes,

you have abusive situations," said West. But

she pointed to other examples. "Clayton

County has a no-kill shelter, and they're doing

just fine," she said.

West

said she and a group of volunteers are working to

raise about $10,000 a year through fund-raisers,

and when she retires from her job and sells her

house, she'll have an additional $100,000 to put

into the venture.

Good

Shepherd currently operates an adoption service

and foster home network with a budget of about

$30,000 a year, funded by donations, adoption

fees and fund-raisers.

PetSmart

pet stores have been "very supportive,"

she added, by providing free food for her pets

and space for adoption fairs. The company

sponsors a charity whose long-term goal is to

eliminate euthanasia, said West.

Area

veterinarians also help out by providing reduced

rates for spaying and neutering, she said.

"It

takes cooperation among agencies," she said,

to deal with the problems of animal neglect and

abuse.

Her

organization is prepared to provide full-time

staff as well as volunteers to run a Fayette

no-kill shelter, she said, but added that she's

not naive enough to think that such a shelter

will solve all of the problems.

"The

problem is so immense, you could have ten humane

societies and you wouldn't solve the

problem," she said. A no-kill shelter would

have only so many spaces, and many animals would

still have to be turned away and eventually

euthanized.

"We're

not miracle workers," she said. "We've

had a realistic group all along."

But

Newman said rather than sinking resources into a

no-kill shelter, he advocates working harder on

education and accountability for pet owners.

"If

we make people more responsible so they get these

animals spayed and neutered, we wouldn't have

these problems," he said. "We should

put the responsibility back on the pet owners.

"Pets

require finances, facilities and time, and if you

don't have these things, you don't need [a

pet]," he said.

"There's

a lot worse things than death," Newman

added. "I know it's hard, but I would rather

see them put to death humanely than see them tied

up in somebody's back yard."

West

insisted she's on the same page as Newman, and

Good Shepherd's no-kill shelter is going to be a

complement and a help to existing animal

protection efforts in the area. "The problem

is so huge that not any one agency can handle it

all," she said.

As

for education, her group spends $1,600 a year on

educational efforts in Fayette County schools,

she said.

To

contribute to the Good Shepherd Humane Society or

find out more about it, write to 10 Dover Square,

Sharpsburg 30277 or phone 770-463-5513.

Contributions are tax deductible.

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