Today's transportation job went very easily. Bonnie is a boxer who was picked up as a stray. She's a very pretty faun color, with some white. Somewhere along the line she's been whacked on the head, or something, resulting in a scab about an inch around, but other than that and a lot of sneezing, maybe from allergies, she is in very good health.
And talk about a lover! I have never had my beard so thoroughly washed! She took a few breaks to give der Brucer's ear a cleaning, too.
We were met at the same exchange point as yesterday, a rest-stop in Smyrna, this time by a father and daughter team from Pennsylvania. They work with a rescue group that specializes in boxers. We get to meet the nicest people with this hobby of ours.
Meanwhile, the
Cape Gazette had a story about the local SPCA pound as their lead in today's issue. It seems that they're not just pulling out of their state contract to handle rabies and bite cases, a contract that runs out in July. They're also planning to end their contract to enforce any of the state's dog laws. According to the article, the executive director of the Delaware SPCA, John Caldwell, has stated "Our board of directors feels our liability is too great and the public perception is that we are slow to respond and quick to euthanize."
Fine, but read further down in the article. Between July 1st, 2003, and June 30th, 2004, the SPCA euthanized 8,335 dogs and cats. During that same period, they placed "1,834 dogs, 1,158 cats, and 59 various other animals, from exotic songbirds to free-roaming emus. In addition, the Delaware SPCA placed 776 animals with rescue groups, bringing the total of placed animals to 3,827."
In other words, they placed less than half the number of animals than the total that they "euthanized."
Maybe that ratio would be more in favor of the living if they would give the rescue groups more advance warning about animals that need to be pulled. Peggy and her pups were going to be put down the afternoon that we got word about her and hers...just a couple of hours before the event. That's too little time to mount a rescue sometimes.
Enough. End of rant.
