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August 5, 2010

Lawmaker vows to introduce bill to save abandoned dogs from death

Maureen Hayden CNHI The Tribune Star Thu Aug 05, 2010, 11:00 PM EDT

INDIANAPOLIS — An Indiana lawmaker who led an effort last year to crack down on puppy mills has a new legislative goal in mind: A bill that would decrease the number of abandoned dogs that are put to death every year.

Just what that legislation will look like isn’t clear yet, but Rep. Linda Lawson, D-Hammond, is headed to New Hampshire to meet with lawmakers there to find out what that state has done to improve the odds for the occupants of its animal shelters.

On Thursday, Lawson joined a team of volunteers with CanINE Express transporting 98 dogs from shelters around Indiana, saving them from their likely fate of euthanasia. The dogs’ destinations are five New England states, including New Hampshire, where shelters have waiting lists for dogs suitable for adoption.

The 98 dogs are just a fraction of the estimated 30,000 to 50,000 dogs that are put to death every year in Indiana after being abandoned by their owners, said Anne Sterling, the Indiana state director for the Humane Society of the United States.

Lawson joined the caravan of vans loaded with the caged dogs feeling discouraged. When asked how much support she expected from fellow lawmakers, she responded, “Not much.” A bill Lawson introduced in the 2009 session of the Indiana General Assembly to curb large-scale dog-breeding operations was stripped of its tough language before it was passed.

Still, Lawson said she’s determined to introduce a bill in the next session that would require some pet owners to spay or neuter their dogs, dramatically reducing the number of unwanted animals that end up in shelters. She said her bill would provide exemptions, including one for dogs that are kept for breeding or that take part in competitive shows.

New Hampshire legislators passed a law in 1994 that established a statewide program that provides low-cost spaying and neutering services for cats and dogs, funded by a $2 surcharge on dog licenses. The state has seen a dramatic decline in both the number of abandoned animals and those that had to be euthanized, according to the Humane Society of the United States.

That contrasts with Indiana, said Sterling. “It’s hard to find any county in Indiana not overrun with unwanted dogs.”

The 98 dogs that left Indianapolis on Thursday with the CanINE Express are among more than 5,900 abandoned dogs in Indiana that have been transported to Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont since the program began in 2004.

Its founder, Cathy Egan of Bloomington, Ind., was inspired to start the program after a visit to an Italian shrine named after St. Francis of Assisi, known by Roman Catholics as the patron saint of animals.

Every month, Egan enlists help from volunteers from around the state. Among those on the latest trip is Marge Cook of Nashville, Ind., who kept a placid chow on a leash until it was time to leave. “People throw away the most beautiful dogs,” Cook said. “It’s too bad they have to travel so far to find a home.”

Did you know?

• Estimated number of abandoned dogs euthanized in Indiana each year: 30,000 to 50,000

• Estimated number of cats and dogs entering shelters each year: 6 to 8 million

• Estimated number of cats and dogs euthanized by shelters each year: 3 to 4 million

• Estimated number of cats and dogs adopted from shelters each year: 3 to 4 million

• Estimated number of cats and dogs reclaimed by owners from shelters each year: 30 percent of dogs and 2 to 3 percent of cats entering shelters

Source: Humane Society of the United States

 

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Copyright 2012 News From Terre Haute, Indiana. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Indiana Legislature

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• Labor workers protest Chamber’s right-to-work stance

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  January 20, 2012 1 Photo  

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  January 18, 2012 1 Photo  

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  January 16, 2012 1 Photo  

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• Indiana county leaders worried over 911 funding

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• More Indiana Legislature Headlines

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