Worcester Animal Rescue League
DRAFT
July 21, 2010
Letter to the City of Worcester City Council, Mayor,and City Manager
The Worcester Animal Rescue League has receivedconsiderable feedback from the public in response to Monday’s T&G articleregarding the proposed muzzling ordinance. Clients, volunteers, WARL supportersand county residents are deeply concerned about the negative impact such anordinance will have. Should this ordinance come to pass, we are certain that manydogs will be abandoned andconsequently seized by animal control officers in record numbers.
And, where will they go? There is noofficial, city-financed “dog pound” in Worcester. The only facility in the citycapable of accepting lost or abandoned animals is the Worcester Animal RescueLeague. The League is NOT city-run, but rather a private, non-profit, limitedintake animal shelter, accepting pets only when space is available; Adoptablepets are not euthanized because of time or space constraints. This is our firm policy,and we have worked hard to make this a positive reality for the homelessanimals of Worcester County. The League currently has only 96 kennels for dogs and 41cages for cats, plus a very limited number of foster home caregivers. Onaverage, the League receives xx of requests to accept homeless animals eachmonth. And, in the current economy, adoption rates have dropped while surrenderrates have climbed. The League actually functions now with a waiting list forresidents wishing to surrender their pet.
We are very concerned that the CityCouncil has not thought through the ramifications of the passing of thisordinance. Were animal control officers consulted? Were county shelteradministrators conferred with? What will happen to the numerous pit bulls, pitbull crosses and others mistakenly identified as pit bulls, all of which thecity finds itself newly in possession of?
The Worcester Animal Rescue Leaguevalues the long standing relationship it has built with the City of Worcester. However, it is not currently held by acontract to accept impounded dogs from Worcester animal control officers.If this ordinance passes, the Worcester Animal Rescue League will no longer accept dogs from Worcester. The League and its dedicated staff andsupporters have worked too hard and advanced the organization too far in thequality of care given to its animals to suddenly reverse our no-kill, limitedintake policies. This ordinance would be asking us to take a giant stepbackwards, becoming once again a kill shelter. We wish to be very clear: The Worcester Animal Rescue League willhave no part in euthanizing dogs or any other animal due to breeddiscrimination.
We all know that each animal is an individual. Thestaff and volunteers at the Worcester Animal Rescue League care for thousandsof animals each year (including many wonderful pit bulls, which happily findforever homes throughout the county and beyond) and do not believe indiscriminating against a specific breed of animal. What’s more, most animalbehaviorists agree that humans are the cause of the vast majority of behaviorissues.
Alternatively to the City Council’s proposed plan,the Worcester Animal Rescue League believes establishing a mandatoryspay/neuter ordinance for pit bulls would be a much more effective program. Weare convinced that a muzzling ordinance in Worcester will ultimately fail. Why?Muzzling does not prohibit breeding; what it does do is make a dog look moreintimidating, which only satisfies the social/cultural needs of irresponsibleowners who use the dogs as a status symbol.
According to the AVMA (American Veterinary MedicalAssociation), 75% of dog bites are caused by intact (that is, unneutered) maledogs. It is no wonder than that a proactive bite prevention program begins witha stricter enforcement of spay/neuter practices. This is simply common sense.
The Worcester Animal Rescue League has nearly 100years of experience in such matters, and it welcomes members of our communityand the Worcester City Council to tour the shelter, meet the staff and newdirector, and visit with all the great pets waiting for a home. Additionally, TheWorcester Animal Rescue League hopes to work collaboratively with the City ofWorcester in developing practical pet ordinances that serve all residents (bothtwo and four-legged) of our community.
Respectfully,
Allie Simone
Acting Director
Worcester Animal Rescue League
Worcester News Tonight/NECN TV coverage of the Worcester Animal Rescue League:
http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=xRPfHYbqu9AAu9pLGYV3jolQl1xnkfC_
http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=w7U_V1pIRKxGZAsRrXKG_ncakl8yrGyQ
http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=kLBOUHD8OHFlLgJqHKsMySf2iODSXL42
http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=w7U_V1pIRKxGZAsRrXKG_ncakl8yrGyQ
http://www.necn.com/pages/video?PID=kLBOUHD8OHFlLgJqHKsMySf2iODSXL42
