Laverne Follis, left, assists Dr. David Black, D.V.M., as they treat a dog at the Broadway Vet Clinic.
"In the twenty-plus years I've worked here, we've about seen everything imaginable, pertaining
to the dogs and pets in Hopkins County!" exclaims Follis.

 

"At The Heart"
Of The Pet Problems in Hopkins County

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

As we reported earlier this week, a litter of approximately nine pups were "dumped" on a remote county road, in southern Hopkins County, and abandoned to "fend for themselves," before interested parties took them in, and began feeding and watering them, in the recent triple-digit temperatures, reflective of the the typical days in July, in Northeast Texas. "The sad part of this incident is that these pups were very, very fortunate!" explains Laverne Follis, a veterinary assistant, at Broadway Vet Clinic, in Sulphur Springs. "While these dogs are being cared for and homes are being sought for them, there were probably five to ten other dogs being 'dumped' at another location in Hopkins County, there weren't so fortunate!"

"It's the same scenario, over and over, every day in Hopkins County," continued Follis and her co-worker, Nancy Temples. "Tough economic times force pet owners or those who have not spayed and neutered their pets to seek an alternative to the increasing financial drain of caring for unwanted animals. And, basically if you're a rural resident in Hopkins County, you have no place to turn, for help. It's a growing problem and one that must be addressed!"

"We're talking about those dogs and cats that you see beside the road, foraging in discarded French fry containers, starving, dehydrated, and covered with fleas," expressed Follis. "They're up and down every Hopkins County road, waiting to die or be run-over by some vehicle!"

 

 

"Yes, we've got a major problem, and we get from five to ten calls a day, from interested citizens, out in the county, who have had such an animal dumped at the end of their driveway, and they want to know what can be done with the animal," explains Dr. David E. Black, DVM, a practicing veterinarian in Hopkins County, for over 30 years. "Other counties in the state of Texas are addressing the problem and we must address it here in Hopkins County! It's time for our county government to 'step up to the plate,' and create some laws, enforce them, and provide a shelter for these unwanted pets."

Dr. Black sited an incident from about two months ago, where some ten cats were exposed to rabies. "We received a call about some kittens that had been attacked by a feral 'Tom cat' and sprayed by a skunk," stated Black. "Two of the kittens had already perished and a third one was in critical condition. That's when the owner brought the kitten to our facility and we sent tests to the lab in Austin. The test came back positive for rabies, and it was learned that possibly 8 other cats had been exposed to the rabid skunk. So, rabies is out there and there are numerous 'feral' or abandoned pets being exposed to the rabies, in the county. It places a burden on all pet owners, who even attempt to keep their vacinations current and booster shots administered, properly."

"Imagine if the nine pups, 'dumped' on the Hopkins County road had 'met up' with a rabid skunk and how rabies could have been spread to your pets and mine, as the dogs traveled over a large area of Hopkins County, in search of food," inserted Follis. "Look at what we, here at the hospital and as responsible pet owners are looking at!"

According to Follis, Temples, and Dr. Black, currently there is a place to house approximately 71 animals, in a shelter, in Hopkins County. The Hearts of Life Rescue Group, which is a "no-kill" facility, can house approximately 60 animals and keeps them in the facility until they are adopted. Then, the Sulphur Springs City Shelter has an additional 11 runs, to house unwanted pets. "These facilities are constantly full, and when we receive calls of abandoned pets, we have no place to refer the caller to," expressed Nancy Temples. "It's basically that the abandon pet is 'on its own' to forage through yours and my trash, eat on road-kill, or began an attack on livestock, in the area they've been dumped, or they will slowly die from thirst and starvation!"

"We need some kind of laws to address vacinating, spaying and neutering pets! " continued Dr. Black. "Some areas have implemented laws that call for pet owners to be permitted. Charging a fee for the permit, and generating income from those fees, to manage a county owned animal shelter. It's definitely time for Hopkins County to look into something to curb this increasing problem!"

 

 

"A few months ago, a county resident offered a sizeable sum of money to the county to construct a county owned shelter for these strays, but was told that it was basically a problem that would be 'taken care of like it had always been done in the country,'" reported Follis. "We've actually got concerned people, wanting to help, but need assistance from our county government to facilitate a collection place for these abandoned and unwanted pets, and to force pet owners to act responsibly, under the guidelines of some laws that are enforceable!"

"I personally feel that a 'no-kill' facility for our county is unrealistic," expressed Follis. "We see too many animals that are not particularly adoptable. They're old, they're diseased, or they have something wrong with them. And, the kindest, most realistic thing to do with them, is to euthanize them and not dump them out to die!"

"It isn't easy to euthanize an animal," continued Follis. "But, it's much more humane than to dump the animal out on a road, to starve, and to find that animal a week or ten days later, malnourished, covered in flees and vermin, and starving to death, and it has to be euthanized then, after suffering an extended period of time!"

"We can continue to ignore the problem, as it grows bigger and bigger, in Hopkins County, or we can 'get a handle on it now' and take the necessary steps to correct it," expressed Dr. Black. "It's that simple! It's not going to go away! We need our county government to admit there is a problem, address it, and then work with the veterinary care community, and local pet owners to find a workable solution to it!"

 

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