Animal Welfare League of Kosciusko County Executive Director Darla McCammon said there has been an influx of dogs coming up missing from their owners in the county.
“I am getting more calls than normal concerning this. I do think we all need to be a little more vigilant and cautious to prevent these losses,” McCammon said during an interview Wednesday at the Times-Union. “I’ve noticed this spring we have had a lower number of dogs coming in to the shelter and I can’t say it’s because they have been stolen, maybe its because we have been doing a good job of spaying and neutering.”
She said the cat population at the AWL has stayed the same, but the number of dogs animal control is bringing in has decreased by half.
McCammon said law enforcement has informed her there has been no great increase in stolen pets and if there were increases that don’t get reported to the law, there could be several things happening to explain any increase.
They include: coyotes getting the dogs, people stealing the dogs to make money, the dogs being sold into an illegal ring doing dog fighting, dogs being taken to sell for medical research or dogs wandering away from home.
“We do not believe this is anything to be overly alarmed about, but because we all love our pets it is a little frightening at times to think about something happening to them,” McCammon said.
McCammon provided advice on keeping dogs safe.
“If you’re letting your pet outdoors you should keep an eye on it when you send it out. Don’t just forget about if for a while,” McCammon said.
She advised to take the dog out on a leash and walk it rather than turning it loose in the yard.
She also said don’t leave pets unattended in vehicles, and contact the AWL any time you have a missing pet.
“If they feel like their pet has been stolen they should file a report with the police department,” McCammon said.
She said she is excited about a new feature in the design plans for a new shelter that safeguards pets that may be left after hours.
“Since we are an open door shelter this is an important feature we wanted to be sure was included,” McCammon said.
McCammon said the AWL is more than halfway to its goal financially for its new shelter. The shelter still needs between $400,000 and $500,000.
To make contributions to the AWL, mail checks to Animal Welfare League, P.O. Box 1906 Warsaw, IN 46581.
(Story By The Times Union)
