The News-Sun honors the men and women working at Animal Control under department director Darryl Scott. They have a thankless, difficult, dangerous and emotionally draining job. Yet they still persevere, doing their best to keep the community safe, while saving as many dog and cat lives as they can. They cannot be asked to deal with feral animals all by themselves.
We agree that the county commission should be concerned about feral pets in Highlands County, especially the ones whose owners never neutered or spayed them before abandoning them to their fates.
We absolutely agree that protecting animal control officers from citizens threatening them harm is necessary and overdue, as is providing consequences for those who lie to officers.
We strongly agree in codifying humane treatment of animals and requiring owners to pick up after their pets.
The News-Sun, however, just as strongly disagrees with some of the proposals that have been floating in front of the commission, starting with banning the feeding of feral cats.
Judy Spiegel, president of the Humane Society of Highlands County, spoke directly to that issue in a communication to the News-Sun website.
She wrote, "(Not feeding cats) will not make the cat colonies go away. Starving cats continue to breed. The ordinance will only make for sick, half-starved, hurt -- from fighting over scraps -- cats."
More to the point, using starvation as a way of controlling animal populations is, forgive us for being blunt, simply sadistic.
Beyond the moral issues, the idea is impractical.
The ordinance would require people feeding feral cats on public or another person's property to have written permission from a city council, the county commission or the neighbor.
How would these permission letters be issued? Would they be notarized? What about keeping track of who gives permission to whom?
Then there are the registration and rabies tag issues, including fees that amount to a tax.
What about people living on fixed incomes, or families hit hard by the economy? The ordinance could, ironically, lead to more abandoned pets and a larger feral animal problem.
There also are serious objections to mandating yearly rabies shots, which are not necessary so often. In addition, veterinarians would be tasked with the oversight and paperwork concerning the inoculations and tags. Why should private business be burdened with such a time-consuming responsibility?
We are glad the county commission tabled the proposed ordinance at the its Nov. 27 meeting and appointed a new advisory committee to revisit the issues. We hope the proposed ordinance is changed significantly, even if some work has to be put aside.
Studies show sharing our lives with an animal companion adds greatly to our mental and physical well being.
We feel an enforceable, fair, effective and humane ordinance, focused on living creatures and people, not dollars and cents, must be the goal.
Sunday, December 02, 2012 - www.newssun.com/edt-120212