Pet boom

More people means more unwanted animals

Dec. 26, 2006

Editor's note: The following is the second in a two-part story about the plight of abandoned and stray animals in the Mat-Su Borough.

By MATT TUNSETH

Frontiersman

MAT-SU - The Mat-Su Borough animal control facility was built in 1986 and was designed to accommodate the needs of a rural area that had yet to experience the population boom of the late 1990s.

Today, the facility is a crowded anachronism that animal control chief Dave Allison says is woefully under-equipped to handle the needs of the area.

&#8220The problem is space,” Allison said.

Residents of the Mat-Su are well-known for their love of animals.

But when that love can't be sustained financially, or when pet owners let their animals breed, the facility ends up as the dumping-ground for unwanted pets and livestock.

Because of space requirements, Allison said the borough's facility can't adequately cope with the needs of all the animals brought in.

The drainage and ventilation system is such that sick animals often are in close proximity to healthy ones, a situation that can lead to unnecessary loss of life.

&#8220When I first came here, we had to put down all the animals in the facility twice,” he said.

As many as 300 animals will enter the facility in an average month. Last year, the shelter took in nearly 3,800 animals overall, including 1,619 dogs and more than 1,000 cats.

But it's not just dogs and cats. Rabbits, snakes, spiders, horses and an assortment of miscellaneous creatures are housed at the facility.

Pet and livestock rescue groups - groups like Alaska Dog and Puppy Rescue, Alaska Equine Rescue and Meadow Gates Farm - help shoulder some of the burden in the Valley.

Jeanette Rogers runs the Meadow Gates Farm, where many of the Valley's unwanted rabbit population ends up. She said the farm is equipped to handle as many as 200 rabbits - far fewer than demand requires.

&#8220We've got too many,” she said. &#8220There's probably 175 here now.”

The root of the problem, she said, is people's unwillingness to have their animals spayed or neutered.

&#8220It's just irresponsible pet ownership,” she said. &#8220There is no market for bunnies.”

Her advice for anyone with any kind of pet is simple.

&#8220Don't breed. Adopt,” she said. &#8220That goes for all pets. There are throwaways everywhere.”

Allison said he would like to see more programs to help people get their animals fixed. But no program for low-cost surgeries exists in the Valley. He'd also like to see the borough's facility expanded to better serve the exploding population of unwanted pets.

Allison has plans for a facility upgrade, a similar version to one proposed two years ago that was rejected by Mat-Su voters.

Allison said he doesn't want to &#8220break the bank,” but would at least like to see a facility that has enough room to accommodate patrons coming into the facility, as well as provide adequate ventilation to ensure animals can stay healthy.

&#8220Many times, there's 10 or 15 people at the counter,” he said. &#8220It doesn't really give us the ability to serve the public.”

An ideal solution to the problem, he said, would include a renovated shelter facility as well as more public awareness of the importance of having pets spayed and neutered.

He'd also like to have an outdoor courtyard area where dogs could be held in a more humane environment.

&#8220Our current shelter was basically designed as a warehouse,” he said.

According to Fairbanks North Star Borough lead animal tender Sandy Klimaschesky, that area has such a facility where outdoor dogs can be kept outside. Klimaschesky said her facility is not experiencing overcrowding, which enables them to hold adoptable pets for a longer time period.

&#8220Right now, we're doing really good,” Klimaschesky said.

An upgrade to the Mat-Su facility likely would cost in the neighborhood of $4 million. Allison said he doesn't think that's too much to pay to ensure that the issue of unwanted animals is better addressed.

&#8220The big fix would be a shelter we could work with,” he said.

Allison said borough government has been supportive of his department, but until the public decides a facility upgrade is necessary, things won't change.

&#8220A lot of people have the attitude that it's not necessary,” he said. &#8220It's ‘you've got a shelter, you deal with it.'”

Until then, however, he said the best solution to the problem is quite simple.

If people don't want unwanted animals to suffer and find themselves at the mercy of the shelter's admittedly imperfect system, they should act to cut down on the number of animals left to fend for themselves.

&#8220I can't say it enough,” he said. &#8220Spay and neuter.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com