Idiot mayor releases animals into national forest

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Larry Powell linked to this story in his column today...

 

http://www.helena-arkansas.com/news/x1470883524/Arkansas-city-releases-shelter-dogs-into-national-forest

 

 

Peggy Harris

Associated Press

Wed, June 11, 2008

 

Little Rock - Mayor James Valley of Helena-West Helena says he has no problem with dogs or other animals. He just believes that strays in his east Arkansas town are better off in nearby national forest than the local animal shelter.The city's animal shelter was so run down a regional humane society worker cut the locks last winter and released all the dogs, the mayor said. The city then moved the operation to a temporary fenced-in area outdoors at the city sanitation department.Still, people complained that the animals were not properly cared for at the temporary quarters, so the mayor decided the dogs would be better off fending for themselves in the St. Francis National Forest.Valley said the city street director released about 10 dogs into the forest Wednesday after the animals were fed and watered. About three dogs were kept to be put down by a veterinarian, he said."They are better off free," the mayor said Thursday in a telephone

interview.A spokeswoman for the U.S. Forest Service said the agency was not contacted by the city before releasing the dogs, and does not condone releasing animals into the forest."In the code, it is illegal to release animals, livestock or abandoned personal property on national forest land," Tracy Farley said, adding that only occasionally does the agency find stray dogs in the forest that someone may have abandoned.The mayor said the city would need about $50,000 to $60,000 to open a new animal shelter, and would work toward that end with county officials. Helena-West Helena also needs to aggressively enforce its animal control laws, he said."We have a leash law that we've been trying to work our way into enforcing. It's been so lax," the mayor said. "People are not buying leashes or tags for the animals. We could literally pick up every other dog in the city."Valley said dogs at the temporary shelter were exposed to the elements

and were not always separated by size or gender in the four pens where they were kept within a gated chain-link fence. Much of the ground was asphalt and one woman concerned about the dogs put a tarp up to shade them, he said."When it was cool, it wasn't as bad but since it's getting hot, it's problematic," he said.Some people also complained that the temporary shelter was not kept clean, he said. To complicate matters, an animal control officer was bitten twice while managing the dogs, the city wasn't able to man the shelter 24 hours a day, and the sanitation department needed the space, he said."Pardon the pun but it was just something that was dogging us," he said. "So it would be easier for us until we get a facility and have a plan that we just not be in the animal shelter business."The mayor said if animal control officers get a call now, "they're going to pick the dog up and probably just take them to the other side of town. And

it's going to be someone else's problem. ... or maybe they will take them to the forest."