RON DAVIS -- Through my eyes

In some ways, government is not much more than a process of making

difficult choices. A process that pits too little money against too many

needs. In this case, the Huntington Beach issue du jour is the suggestion

that the city should get into the animal shelter business. While those

who propose the animal shelter see it as either a no-kill or pro-humane

shelter (meaning more humane than existing facilities), no matter the

label or the level of service, the bottom-line suggestion is that the

city should be in the animal shelter business.

Huntington Beach, as do other cities, now contracts with the County of

Orange for these services, consisting of field, licensing and shelter

services. People ought to be passionate about protecting and preserving

all life. And it is from that position that Save Our Strays, a nonprofit

group, proposes that a facility be opened and operated in Huntington

Beach.

According to the data developed by Meyer & Allen Assoc., consultants

hired by the city to study the issue, during 1999 the county handled

1,450 dogs and 1,021 cats for Huntington Beach. Regrettably, about 30% of

the dogs and 80% of the cats were euthanized.

We like to use words that insulate us from reality. Thus, we speak of

euthanizing or putting our animals to sleep. Although euthanasia may be a

painless death, it is nonetheless an intentional killing, and the word is

of little solace to those who would argue that the killing of helpless

animals is never warranted unless the animal is too sick or poses a

threat to society.

Proponents of the shelter argue that better education, longer stays in

the shelter and a more aggressive licensing and adoption program offered

locally would significantly reduce the percentage of animals euthanized.

They’re probably right. But at what cost?

The city’s consultants estimate that it would cost the city about $14

million to build a shelter in Huntington Beach. In the city’s contract

with the county, we have to pay for the animal services over and above

what the county collects for licensing and shelter fees. That amounts to

about $425,000 per year. The city’s consultant concluded that a city-run

shelter would have net operating expense of between $1.45 and $1.7

million annually, depending upon the number of volunteers.

The proponents, as proponents often do, argue that the estimated

construction costs and projected operating costs are over-inflated.

Setting aside the cost of building a shelter, they insist they will be

able to operate it for the same amount charged by the county. But, what

if they’re wrong? Then you and I pay.

Even if those passionate protectors of pets could get enough money to

buy land and then pay the construction costs, I would want a financial

guarantee that it would cost Huntington Beach no more for the city to run

the shelter than the county. Assurances and optimism aren’t enough when

we risk diverting more than a million dollars annually from human

programs.

I share the proponents’ concerns about killing helpless animals, but I

don’t see the solution as abandoning an existing program with the county

and funding our own. My preference is to work with the county to make

that shelter better. Not only for the animals coming from Huntington

Beach, but countywide.

Still, the responsibility for the cruelty of animals dying in a

shelter, begins with us, not with government. Spaying and neutering pets

decreases the pet population and increases the demand for pet adoptions.

Licensing and identification tags make it more likely your animal will be

returned.

The high rate of euthanasia for cats is probably attributable to the

fact that most cat owners don’t have identification tags for their cats

-- after all they’re cats. But, there are breakaway collars for cats to

hold collar tags, as well as eighth-inch diameter ear tags which can be

placed in a cat’s ear. My favorite is the painless insertion of a

microchip, the size of a grain of rice, which costs between $30 and $50.

In a perfect world, a Huntington Beach animal shelter is probably the

right thing to do. But then again, in a perfect world, we wouldn’t have

strays.

* RON DAVIS is a private attorney who lives in Huntington Beach. He

can be reached by e-mail at o7 [email protected]