Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, July 9, 1993 TAG: 9309020344
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE:
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
``The problem'' this won't solve, of course, is the thousands of unwanted dogs and cats roaming throughout the valley, where they spread animal diseases, create a public nuisance and, in some cases, present a genuine threat to public health.
But these unwanted animals are not simply a ``problem'' for the people of the valley. ``The problem'' is also one of deprivation and suffering for the animals. These domesticated animals, either abandoned by owners or born to strays, live short and desperate lives outside of the care and protection of the humans they have been bred to live with. Without that care, survival is a constant struggle against starvation, disease, severe weather, other animals and dangers - such as fast-moving cars - peculiar to life amid humans.
So great is this ``problem'' that the Roanoke Valley Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals reports that, on average, 135 cats and dogs are brought to its door each week. You are kidding yourself if you think that any but a handful are saved by loving, adoptive families. The overwhelming majority - 74 percent - are put to death.
So sad is their struggle to survive on their own that this is, indeed, a kindness.
And the animals that are brought in are just a tiny fraction of ``the problem.'' By the SPCA's reckoning, two cats can produce 20,000 offspring in four years; two dogs, 5,000.
So the 45-member veterinary association is offering the Cooperative Spay-Neuter Assistance Program, Co-Snap for short, in an effort to bring the animal population under control. This is both a responsible and a generous gesture by professionals who care enough about their four-legged clientele to try to do something about ``the problem.'' But it won't solve it, as the vets readily concede.
Reasonable changes in state and local laws have been proposed by the Animal Overpopulation Task Force, which is a group of veterinarians, SPCA officials, municipal-animal control officers, the Roanoke Kennel Club and animal-advocacy groups.
It sounds like an excellent idea, for example, to increase substantially the license/rabies-registration fees for pets left, as vets delicately say, ``intact,'' but state law will have to be changed to allow it. Current law puts a $10 ceiling on licenses. A higher fee would be an incentive for owners to do the responsible thing.
Local governments should take advantage of one change already open to them. During its last session, the General Assembly passed a law enabling localities to require licenses for cats, just as they are required for dogs.
Stray cats are by far the larger problem, veterinarian Mark Finkler says. Not that this fact should ease the conscience of anyone who has ever abandoned a dog. Dogs do worse at fending for themselves, dying sooner and, so, having less time to reproduce.
Licensing cats would help animal-control officers identify the strays and, if it can be combined eventually with higher fees for unneutered animals, could do much to encourage cat owners to bring in their pets for the little operation.
Both Roanoke city and Roanoke County are studying cat-licensing ordinances. Any such proposals are sure to be controversial, but they are needed and should be enacted.
They alone won't take care of ``the problem'' either, however.
Requiring a license is easily done. Picking up all the cats without a license wouldn't be. Effective enforcement would take more animal-control officers, who would need more equipment and a larger facility to hold the cats. (The SPCA building, used by the city and county, is overcrowded as it is.)
Higher licensing fees could go a long way toward paying for the added costs. Residents who want to deal with ``the problem'' must realize it will cost money.
Even if all of this happens, ``the problem'' still won't go away without yet another essential change: responsible pet ownership. Dogs should not be allowed to roam. Cats, which demand and get more leeway, should be spayed or neutered if they go outdoors. And no pet should be allowed to breed unless a home is assured for each of its offspring - a home with someone who will see that the animal is spayed or neutered.
Veterinarians are offering to do this free for owners who can't afford it. What about those who can? Too many who are not short on cash are short on common sense or compassion. They can help fix ``the problem,'' starting right at home.
by CNB