IT SEEMS THAT OUR LOCAL ANIMAL CONTROL OFFICE IS OUT OF CONTROL.....

Kern Countys animal shelter is critically underfunded, disorganized and INCAPABLE OF HUMANELY DEALING WITH THE GROWING NUMBER OF ANIMALS COMING INTO ITS KENNELS.....

The result is illness, suffering and death, according to a report developed during "informal animal consultations" done in 2007 by the UC Davis Koret Shelter Program.  Animal Control officials have not previously made the report public.

The most dramatic section of the report relates to the treatment of feral cats at the shelter.

The report says feral cats are stacked in cages in inadequate space.  The cats are carried into the cages dangling by the neck from catch poles.

On two occasions, the whole population of the feral cat room has been killed to avoid the epidemic spread of "horrible" infections caused by the cramped treatment of the animals.

The situation has been reported to the Animal Control Chief Denise Haynes since 2005

The Kern Board of Supervisors have been asked to remove her from this position.

Anyone that can condone this for that length of time doesn't belong there.

It was not as if we were being callous.  It was 'How do we fit this into my fix-it pile.....

Kern County supervisors have publicly rejected the idea of spending more money on shelter programs.  Their reasoning....People are more important than animals.....

It also comes as the Kern County Animal Control Commission makes a final recommendation as to how supervisors should address animal overpopulation with new programs - and funding.....

SPAY-NEUTER SPLITS PANEL.....

It also seems that the animal control comission has split on the spay-neuter bill.....there are five members on the commission and the night of the vote , one was absent, therefore causing a split decision.....sounds like politics to me.....A supervisor, who shall remain nameless has stated....."I support full mandatory spay-neuter....."It is good governance in my opinion that the government hold owners responsible for the uncontrolled breeding of their animals."

Maybe they ought to think about a Mandatory County Directive that says each Veterinarian in Kern County will donate one day a month for a "FREE" clinic.....not everyone in Kern County can afford such high rates and if this bill passes their rates  will go sky-high.....

Maybe the animal control board should stop talking and talking and start listening to the people.....The responsible pet owners are NOT THE PROBLEM.....take your fingers out of your ears and.....LISTEN UP.....

And we still have one more major malfunction.....The city nor the county can't get together and decide on the same rules and regulations.....one says only a certain number of pets.....the other, the county ordinance, says that you can have any amount of pets you can support.....

I have a question.....have the city, county and animal control ever got together and talked about the situation.....if they have its been kept under wraps.....maybe, just maybe, if they did talk they might come up with another solution.....Oh well, maybe I'm asking too much.....

What happened to the democratic way of handling the situation.....put it on the ballot and let the citizens decide.....oh, wait a minute.....we might vote in a way you don't like and then you would change the decision to fit your purpose.....

We have become the pet Murder Capital of the country.....I don't know about all the people in Kern County, but this makes me ashamed to say I live here.....

SOME GOOD NEWS.....

Homeward bound kittens has just adopted 5 of the cutest little siamese kittens.....Their mother was feral and abandoned the babys in a friends yard.....

It is and has always been the policy of "Homeward Bound Kittens" to spay and neuter all incoming fur people.....

I've done enough griping for tonight.....maybe next blog entry, the animal control and the city and county supervisors will come to some kind of decision.....or maybe this time they should have all the members present and get this whole mess under control.....

TO THE ANIMAL CONTROL COMMISSION.....The next time you take a vote, you should have all the members present, instead of playing politics with the lives of our fur people.....

To fur people lovers everywhere.....ya' all have a great rest of the day.....and a better tomorrow.....ttfn.....Reid and Debbie