Archive: Around Town

At 3:00 AM on June 28, a passerby called the SPCA emergency line to report that a dog was tied up outside of the Dorothy and Roy Park Pet Adoption Center. The on-call staff returned to the shelter and discovered a very large young male tan colored Labrador Retriever mix tied to a post with no identification, no information, no food and no water. The dog, underweight at 60 pounds, has been named Mickey and he is currently available for adoption.

This is the second case of animal abandonment at the SPCA in the last few weeks. On June 6, 14 adult cats, crammed into two pet carriers, were left on the doorstep.

“We are quite alarmed by these recent incidents,” says Jim Bouderau, executive director. “These poor animals come in with no histories, no names, no ages – we do our best to evaluate them, but having information from their guardians is so important.” With no medical histories, the SPCA must immediately vaccinate animals against rabies and provide preventative medications. Age is difficult to determine, and any underlying health issues may not be immediately evident, especially if the pet has been on any kind of maintenance medication. “We had a dog in once that began to have seizures after being here about a week – we didn’t have his medical history so we had to start from square one to try to find the problem.”

Bouderau went on to say: “There is just no good reason to abandon pets in our parking lot.  Not only do they run the risk of injury or death, but abandonment of dogs is a violation of New York State Agriculture & Market Law Article.” Pet guardians who reside in Tompkins County should call 257-1822 to make an appointment if they need to surrender a pet. At that time, the SPCA will go provide counseling, schedule an appointment, and prepare to receive the pet. As an open-admission, No Kill shelter, the SPCA does not refuse any animal in urgent need within Tompkins County, but this does not mean that pets can be admitted 24 hours a day, or without proper information.

Appointments, scheduling, counseling, and background information are extremely helpful to the welfare of the pet. Often, Bouderau points out, the SPCA has been able to solve problems for people who want to keep a pet who is having a behavior or other issue.

Mickey, the shelter thinks, is about one-year old, very energetic and in need of a home with experienced dog owners. He has a tendency to resource guard and will need good training and a home without small children. He is still filling out and will likely weigh closer to 70-75 pounds when at his full weight.

The SPCA of Tompkins County was founded in 1902 to protect animals from cruelty and neglect. Since then, the SPCA of Tompkins County has evolved into an organization that shelters lost, homeless and victimized companion animals while offering educational and advocacy programs to our community. The agency combats chronic pet overpopulation, finds homes for all adoptable animals and provides resources for pet guardians to strengthen and celebrate the human-animal bond.

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