Even if donations come pouring into the area’s animal shelter because of recent attention to its plight, they will not be enough to sustain it.
We know from history that periodic fundraisers are good for limited endeavors but cannot be an entity’s bread and butter.
That’s why Allen County commissioners need to adopt their namesake, the Allen County Animal Rescue Facility, into its budget alongside the Bowlus Fine Arts Center, the Allen County and Humboldt Historical Societies, Tri-Valley Developmental Services, the mental health and county health departments and many others.
From the get-go ACARF has been a money-losing venture. It costs more to vaccinate, treat and board animals than the center can feasibly charge those who either adopt the animals or drop them off.
ACARF is not here to make money, but to rescue abandoned dogs and cats — a commendable goal and what helps classify us as a progressive county, apart from those that turn a blind eye to their four-legged friends.
With a well-functioning shelter, we can help keep stray dogs and cats from roaming our streets and alleys, rural homes are no longer drop-off sites for unwanted litters, and with effective spaying and neutering services we can control our animal populations.
It wasn’t too long ago — 2010 to be exact — that the county’s city pounds were in charge of stray animals. Animals were given three days to be claimed. If not, they were euthanized.
Most of us regarded that as inhumane.
TODAY, the shelter is a fraction of what it could be because of budget cuts.
Commissioners should invite ACARF administrators to state their case and thoughtfully consider whether they deem it a county responsibility.
We’d venture yes.
— Susan Lynn
