After being away from home for college for four months, I was finally starting to appreciate my home county. It's one of those places where everyone born here just kinda wants out. There's not much to do, the people aren't friendly, crossing streets is hazardous to your life. But there's not a city to be accounted for, and that's the biggie for me. And people here also seem to appreciate animals in the same way, for the most part. People's dogs will roam the neighborhood and befriend all the children, and no one minds that they're not tied up or fenced in. If someone's cows or horses get out, nobody will get too angry, and it's fairly easy to find volunteers to herd the loose animals up and get them home. People feed the feral cats and stray dogs... There's just an overall feeling of good will towards animals.
Or so I thought. Over the past years, there have been various campaigns promoting the SPCA and urging people to take strays or unwanted pets there. What I read today makes me glad that I never did, and even more grateful that we took in my rottie shepherd off the street when we found out the SPCA had been called to pick her up.
Delegate Mike Smigiel posted a blog entry about the complaints he had been receiving about the Cecil County SPCA. The accusations made about the CCSPCA are horrific. Dogs are beaten in the name of "discipline." Animals that are brought in are not checked for identification chips and often put down by the end of the day, and should the owners of these animals come looking for them, they are lied to about the fate of their pets. The veterinarian has shown inhumane treatment such as walking away from an animal in the middle of a surgery to take a phone call. Animals that they feel can't be adopted out for a high price are usually euthanized by the end of the day they are brought in, regardless of temperament, health, or the policy to hold all animals for 3-5 days in case there is an owner. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
I am absolutely enraged by this. The SPCA claims to take good care of the animals that are brought in, but according to first hand witnesses, that is far from the case. I am passionate about animals, and I want them to be treated properly, especially in the county I live in. But I don't know what there is I can do. On top of it all, in less than two weeks, I'm going to be back in Chicago for my second semester of college.
However, I am determined there must be something I can do. My mom is going to put posters up to bring awareness to this problem. Hopefully, enough people will rise up and demand a change. But I worry that they won't, because we've been so conditioned to believe that the SPCA was the only haven we had for strays. And if there's one thing I know about people, it's that they like to keep believing what they've been taught to believe, to stay in their comfort zone and not have anything else to worry about.
I know that I, at least, have finally solidified my decision to volunteer at animal shelters in Chicago. I want to learn what goes into running a shelter, because I want the people running the CCSPCA out of there, and if/when that happens, I want to be available to help turn the place around. I'm even willing to take a semester off from college to do so. All I want is for our animals to be treated humanely, but when it comes down to it, I'm at a loss as to what I can do to make that happen.
Source:
http://smigiel.wordpress.com/2009/01/06/the-cecil-county-spca-is-accused...
Good for you for committing yourself to helping places like that change! Places who try and do a good thing for animals and end up doing worse need to see consequences for their neglect. Those who fight for animals should never run on double standards or lies.