LACK OF ANIMAL CONTROL STILL A PROBLEM FOR GREENE COUNTY: Via Greene County Daily World blog by Nick Schneider.

Greene County Daily World: Blog: Stray animal problem won't go away on its own


Stray animal problem won't go away on its ownPosted Friday, June 4, 2010, at 10:42 AM
I'm going to share a couple of interesting things that have recently came across my desk.
A Linton resident, Michelle Hollingsworth, called me the other evening upset about an experience she had with a stray, injured kitten that she had taken under her care just prior to a major thunderstorm moving through the area.
Michelle noticed this small yellow kitten trying to move along the sidewalk on A St. (State Road 54) near the old Pizza City building in Linton.
It was dirty, bloody with some obvious injuries. The kitten was unable to move its back legs.
Michelle thought maybe it may have been struck by a passing vehicle, but doesn't know for sure.
Nonetheless, the kitten needed a friend and some help.
Michelle admitted to being an "animal love" and was in tears when she called me about the dilemma she faced.
The Linton woman already had eight cats and four dogs, but said her heart went out to the small kitten that she estimated was three or four months old. She didn't need any more, but she had to help.
Her first moves were to call the Linton Police Department and then the Greene County Sheriff's Department for assistance.
She says she didn't get much help at either place.
She was even told by one dispatcher to just take the kitten back where she found it.
That's hardly a viable solution.
It was also suggested that she contact the Greene County Humane Society.
Well during daytime hours, that might be some OK advice, but after-hours that is another story.
There is no after-hour pickup offered by the mostly volunteer agency that is supported by private donations and yearly contributions from the county, cities and towns in the county.
Regular operating hours "Tuesday through Saturday vary from 11 a.m. - 3 or 4 p.m.", according to the Humane Society's website.
The animal facility located on Atlas Road, west of Linton, is closed on Sunday and Monday.
To Michelle, there needed to be an answer for her problem the other night and sadly to say there wasn't.
"We clearly need something after-hours," she told me. "I think it is sad we have nothing we can do after-hours. If I would have left it (the kitten) there, it would have drown.
"Do we just all just walk away and let it go? I just want this problem to be taken care of in a sensible way."
Unfortunately, this story doesn't have a happy ending.
The following morning, Michelle was able to contact the Linton Veterinary Clinic and they agreed to take a look at the kitten.
The injuries were serious -- a broken pelvis and both back legs were broken.
The kitten was "put down" because of the extent of the injuries at no cost by the vet clinic, which was very much appreciated by the Linton woman.
Michelle's experience begs for some answers that might lead to some common sense solution to this problem.
I realize it takes money and manpower to run an animal shelter and both are tough to come up in this economy where county and municipal agencies are struggling to make ends meet and they are reluctant to expend much money on services like a Humane Society.
Stray animals are a problem that every community in this county faces.
What's the solution?
A wolverine?
While we're talking about animals, I also received a recent telephone call from Ron Sparks of Linton inquiring if anyone else in the area may have reported seeing what he contends was a wolverine.
No, not a White River Valley High School Wolverine, a real live stocky and muscular animal with short legs, broad and rounded head, and small eyes with short rounded ears -- a wolverine.
The critter was spotted the other afternoon along the fairway on Hole No. 5 at Phil Harris Golf Course in Linton. The animal was running toward the back of the Elks Lodge building, according to Sparks.
He wasn't sure what it was, but after playing his round of golf, he got on the Internet and found a photograph of the animal and he swears it was a wolverine.
"I am sure that is what it was," he said.
I did some checking myself and found that the wolverine lives primarily in isolated northern areas, for example the arctic and alpine regions of Alaska, northern Canada, Siberia and Scandinavia.
I didn't read anything about Indiana, but who knows?
We recently had a report confirmed and photographed by the Indiana Department of Natural Resources in Greene County northeast of Bloomfield of a mountain lion and they aren't supposed to be in this neck of the woods either.
So there might be some validity to this sighting.
Who knows, there could indeed be a wolverine lurking around this golf course for this weekend's big tournament.
One note of caution.
The wolverine has a reputation for ferocity and strength out of proportion to its size, with the documented ability to kill prey many times its size.
So if you see one, it's probably a smart idea to stay away from it.
Nick is the assistant editor for the Greene County Daily World. He can be reached by telephone at 847-4487 or 1-800-947-4487 or by e-mail at schneider.nick@gmail.com .
CommentsShowing comments in chronological order[Show most recent comments first]

After knowing some of the people that have recently worked in the Humane Shelter at Linton and hearing how they euthanize animals long before they are required to (we're talking within hours of being brought in)I can see why no one would want to donate to that place. The explanation for the immediate euthanizations was that they get paid for destroying the animals and sending them off to God knows where. Pure greed and no heart.It's a shame someone like Squirely isn't still around to take the animals in and care for them like they should be taken care of until they find a home.
-- Posted by whatanut on Fri, Jun 4, 2010, at 2:37 PM

I don't even know where to start to comment on this subject because there are so many problems in this county when it comes to animals. However, I will say this, the dispatcher that told Michelle to take a hurt animal "back to where she found it" should be so ashamed of him/herself. If the people at the sheriff's department can't do the RIGHT thing how the heck are the rest of us. OMG, how terribly sad for this county...
Thank you Michelle for doing the right thing even though it didn't work out for the kitten. There will be a extra special place in heaven for you because you had a heart!
-- Posted by Polar Bear on Fri, Jun 4, 2010, at 5:47 PM

My husband and I came across a large dog in a ditch along the hiway one evening, he had been hit and was about to drown from the rising water from the storm we were having. We called the police (could not help outside the city limits) called the Humane society (they were closed). We managed to get him into the back of our SUV and took him home, we ran an ad in the paper and left our phone number with the shelter in case someone was looking for their pet. We recently had his back leg fixed and fenced in our back yard. He's the best natured animal I have ever had and its amazing to us that we found him, we had been talking about getting a puppy, and apparently this "puppy" needed someone. We're the lucky ones to have this mild creature and I want to say to the lady with the kitten story, thank you for caring, there should be more people out there willing to help the less fortunate, be it animal or human.
-- Posted by annie1 on Fri, Jun 4, 2010, at 6:19 PM

Your blog raises very complex issues with no easy answers. A fully staffed humane society, most would agree, would be an asset to such a large and rural county. However, there have been several issues with this particular humane society that opens an entirely different can of worms.
Those are issues that, without really "tearing" the current HS apart and rebuilding from the "ground" up, will not be answered. THEN we can discuss issues like funding, oversight, and staffing.
Certainly the issue of the poor kitten is a sad one and kudos to the woman for her compassion.
-- Posted by Sasha_Christopher on Fri, Jun 4, 2010, at 6:43 PM

why can't we have a "no kill" shelter? Other areas , like Sullivan, have one. Another issue, why is it so hard to get help with spaying or neutering costs? Iknow people that have been told there were no more vouchers to be given out by the Humane shelter, and why in the world won't the Humane society come into town to check into issues when they are called? Several times I have called requesting help with neglected animals and have been told they will not come into town. Why not! Don't they recieve some of their funding from the surrounding towns? Wow, there are alot of issues with the way things are now.......
-- Posted by annie1 on Fri, Jun 4, 2010, at 7:11 PM

Sorry to burst your bubble annie1 but Sullivan is not a no-kill shelter. They put down over 300 animals in the the first 6 months of opening. I have a friend that volunteered there for a while. They also adopted out a heart worm positive dog without telling the family. All animal shelters have problems.
-- Posted by just2cents on Mon, Jun 7, 2010, at 1:34 PM

The ONLY place to start is with mandatory spay/neuter ordinances that are enforced. FORCE PET OWNERS TO BE RESPONSIBLE. Many people have tried for years to bring about change in this area, only to be attacked by the 'good old boy' network that doesn't want anyone interfering with their money making operations involving animals. So we all pay the price for their 'entitlement'. Greene County had requirements on their books up through at least 2005, maybe still do, that said the county MUST HAVE an animal control board to address these kinds of problems, but it was never acted on. County Commissioners including the current president- Bart Beard- shot it down when citizens brought it up. SO, until citizens ask their elected officials to take a stand on this issue, we will have to continue to witness extreme animal suffering and neglect and thousands of needless deaths.
-- Posted by STILLHOPEFUL on Tue, Jun 8, 2010, at 1:01 PM

The current economic situation for our entire area has had a tough impact on all creatures great and small. To get to the heart of the problem, you need for residents to have access to affordable, available spay/neuter resources. My name is Emily Reynolds, I'm the Administrator for the Indiana Spay/Neuter Alliance. We are based out of Bloomington and I have taken a special interest in Greene County. Since beginning work with spay/neuter, I have come to understand the dire need for low-cost (if not FREE) spay/neuter services in the Greene County area. I now offer a transportation program for the residents of Greene County. I visit Greene County twice a month to register pets and strays for surgery and to pick the animals up for surgery. This is a non-profit service and the cost of the surgery is $20, and in cases with barn and stray cats we can fix them for FREE. I have been saddened over the past two months at the lack of participation in this program by residents of Greene County. I know that the need is there, and this story confirms my thought. So please, spread the word that we are here to help! Prevent the unwanted litters in order to cut back the population issues you are seeing, I will provide services for spay/neuter. My information runs in the Community Info section of the Daily World each month. You can also track our services down online. We are the Indiana Spay/Neuter Alliance and we are here to help!!
-- Posted by EmilyReynolds_SpayIndiana on Tue, Jun 8, 2010, at 2:37 PM
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