Toledo Humane Society says they don’t have the resources to remove starving horses from the owner. I did a quick Google and found:
The HSUS Animal Rescue teams are ready at a moment’s notice to rescue horses from poor living conditions[…]
Now we just have to get these two lovebirds together.
In the meantime, I’m assuming Toledo HS has the resources to feed and vet the horses, at least?
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This post asks “Are surrender fees the answer?” and mentions a Missouri municipal shelter that recently instituted a $20 surrender fee. Amazingly, this shelter does not do adoptions so the $20 is funding the killing of pets not lucky enough to be saved by a rescue group. The comments are interesting to read as well, including one from someone who describes him/herself as a former shelter director who advertised no surrender fees to encourage people not to abandon their pets in the community:
But, once someone came in with their pet, they were required to fill out forms, then sit through my “lectures” about the fate of shelter pets, and our expenses. I flat out told them that “Fluffy” would die if they did not help us out with a donation.
Read the entire comment for context.
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This opinion piece from a former ACO in Indiana makes some good points regarding saving more of the community’s pets but near the end, suggests that advertising free pets in any newspaper should be made a punishable offense under the law. I’m not sure how that would help save pets. It is the appropriate screening of buyers that is key, not the amount charged for the pet to my mind. It is a mistake to assume that people who do not intend to take good care of a pet are the only ones looking for free pets. In fact, sometimes such folks are willing to pay any price. (Does the name Michael Vick ring a bell?)
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Finally, I’ve been meaning to mention that the No Kill Nation is building a website. For now, you can sign up for their newsletter. I look forward to seeing the rest of the site when finished.
we charge surrender fees at my shelter. But it’s not an ultimatum. We ask for the fee which will help care for their pet (for about a day and a half- after that, it’s on us and our donors). If the customer can’t pay, we explain that we’re not gov’t funded and 70% of our operating revenue comes from donations. We then ask if they can give anything towards the animals’ care- even a few dollars. If not- we accept the animal anyway and send them home with a donation form