Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 27, 1993 TAG: 9302270104
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A4 EDITION: STATE
SOURCE:
DATELINE: WYTHEVILLE LENGTH: Short
WYTHE WEIGHS LETTING SPCA RUN DOG POUND
Wythe County officials are considering an offer by the county's Humane Society to run their dog pound."We're willing to feed and water the animals and clean the kennels," Terri Potokar, society treasurer, told the county Board of Supervisors this week.
But the society's goal is to have the shelter open for more hours so more people will be able to visit and adopt pets. Those not adopted are destroyed after about seven days.
County Animal Warden Billy Ward tries to be at the pound from 8 to 9 a.m. but those hours are not the best for the public, Potokar said. Humane Society members have no holding facilities of their own, and have been taking animals to their homes to keep until they can be adopted.
"Some of the best dogs I've ever seen come out of pounds," Potokar said. "Basically, we're not asking for anything except for permission to go in and do this."
However, it's not that simple. There are state regulations for dog pounds and the existing 14 pens would not accommodate more dogs if they are kept for longer periods before being destroyed. Also, officials must consider whether facilities will be needed eventually for cats now that the town of Wytheville has a cat-license ordinance.
The supervisors agreed to have a committee meet with society representatives to see what could be worked out.
- Southwest bureau