Culver City Observer
September 6 - 12, 2007 Letters to the Editor I was present at the City Council meeting regarding the contract for Carson County Animal Shelter. The Council voted in favor of extending the contract with Carson Animal Shelter for five years. I first went down to Carson to try to pull a dog out that I had seen for months roaming around Kenneth Hahn Park. Finally, Animal Control helped round him up. Normally, a dog like that is automatically 'put down' as its considered a 'danger' to the community. I was able to get a rescue group to sponsor him, so we could pull him from the shelter. The rescuer who accompanied me referred to the place as a 'holocaust.' I admit I was taken aback, and had never looked at it that way, but now I know exactly what she meant. I, like most of my neighbors wanted to think that the shelter was actually a shelter.. where they somehow 'took care' of lost animals. Well they don 't... basically they kill and dispose of most of them because there are just too many. Carson is well known within the rescue community as a high-kill shelter. Is that really where we want the animals of our community going? Isn't the measure of a community how it treats it's children, elderly and animals? They have a vet on staff but he does not actually treat the dogs or cats. They are initially checked and given shots but not treated for even minor problems such as kennel cough. Colds are rampant there and not treated. If an animal is unfortunate enough to have an injury, even a minor one, or a co ld... usually this is a certain death sentence no matter how cute or adoptable it is. The dog from Kenneth Hahn Park was pulled by me, at my own expense (I have two dogs of my own) and boarded at a private facility until it was adopted by a wonderful couple. And he is a wonderful, sweet, friendly dog. If I had let Carson handle it, that dog would be long dead. I and many other big hearted members of our community do this again and again at our own expense, and spend countless hours looking for homes just so the animals don't have to go to Carson. We would prefer to have a facility in our own city that takes care of lost animals rather than just kills them out of the eye of the public. A long term goal would be our own no-kill shelter but in lieu of that, there have to be alternatives to relying on the County. Carson services 32 cities, from Palos Verdes to North Hollywood. If you call with a problem, they say they will handle it 'within 24 hours.' This is really unacceptable. Most members of the Council have not even been down to the Carson shelter to see it for what it is. That is, if they can brave the 405 traffic down there. Sincerely and respectfully, Judy Johnston Culver City |