Marion County officials to clarify fostering of animals
Marion County Council members adjourned their monthly meeting on Oct. 14 to have a public hearing on the lease agreement of the Marion County Animal Shelter to Paws to the Rescue Inc. During the time for public discussion, Harold Taylor of Nichols spoke, saying while he believes the lease is a good idea, that he is concerned about the county allowing the fostering of animals from its shelter.
Taylor told council members of a situation near his home in which someone shelters as many as 16-17 dogs at a time. Taylor believes that’s too many and unless a person has a business license to run a kennel that number should be restricted. Taylor said he would like to see in the lease agreement provisions that the Marion County Animal Shelter not allow the fostering of animals, and if it does, to limit the number a person can take in. Taylor also said he hoped the lease agreement, which was not available for public review before the public hearing, had restrictions on the adopting dogs and cats from the shelter unless they were first spayed or neutered.
The third item of concern for Taylor was the liability to the county of dogs kept in foster care, should the dog get out and hurt someone. “I would like to have seen it (the lease agreement) … these things should be made available …”
Taylor said according to his understanding after talking with Jennifer Nall, the director of Paws to the Rescue, the group does allow animals to be fostered as a step that leads to adoption. Taylor said he believes Nall will do a good job with the shelter and is impressed with her. County Administrator Tim Harper and County Attorney Charles McLain explained the lease agreement was not finalized until the day before the meeting and that county and shelter officials were still working on it.
McLain explained that in the short time that has passed the county has worked to get the agreement in order, and that the county wasn’t purposefully holding out on anybody. During the reconvened regular meeting, council unanimously voted to amend the lease agreement to prevent fostering or to limit the fostering of animals from the shelter to a specific number with one foster care giver. County officials will look to see what other counties do in regards to the fostering of animals by county-run shelters and if it is admissible.
Also at the meeting was to have been third reading of an ordinance authorizing the issuance of a special source revenue bond for Carolina AAC. McLain reported that he’s had no word on that item and it was not ready for a vote.
Council passed the second reading of ordinance 08-09, to approve the lease of the Animal Shelter to the new management group, with the amendment.
Council member Milton Troy also said council should look into the development of an ordinance that would limit the number of dogs kept on one site, excluding hunters and registered kennel owners.
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Reader Reactions
Foster homes are essential if the goal is to save animal’s lives. Pregnant females, animals with injuries, newborn puppies and kittens, etc. are at high risk in a shelter environment in which even good sanitation practices cannot always prevent outbreak of disease. Not to mention that Marion County Shelter is not heated nor cooled, or wasn’t the last time I was there. The groups I have mentioned would be unlikely to escape from any foster home and cause damage. Most foster care contracts include a waiver to be signed that the foster parent, although sometimes being reimbursed by the facility for food or other expense, assumes full responsibility as owner for the time the animal resides in the home. Animals in foster care are less likely to be returned to a shelter if adopted, because they are better socialized, better adjusted, and better understood. Regular visits to foster homes by the organization can be used to prevent individuals from hoarding animals. As far as pet limit laws, one dog not properly cared for and socialized can be more of a nuisance than six properly cared for dogs. Why not simply enforce existing nuisance laws and animal cruelty laws instead? Ideally, animals should be spayed/neutered before leaving a shelter. But who is to pay for Marion County shelter animals to be altered, and where are they going to recover? The shelter is unfit for an animal who has undergone surgery.
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