I received another call Friday about a Pit Bull dog being dumped. This time the person dropped the dog near a home with children in Cobalt Village.  There is no county animal control. There is animal control within the city limits of Fredericktown.

Last time animals were dumped I heard of-it was kittens. They simply tossed them out of a car window while driving down the street. By the time animal control got to the scene a few minutes later, one of the kittens had been run over.

There appears to be an increase in the number of animals being dumped. Some say it is a part of the problems our economy is dealing with.  A dumped animal is simply someone else’s problem and expense. The average cost for a vet to put an a stray dog down is $80.  I’ve done it more than once. Some people simply shoot the animal(s). That’s NOT a humane way to kill them. Although Missouri law allows for the protection of livestock from dog attacks by shooting the dog, it doesn’t allow for the random killing of dogs when there is no threat.

Dumping an animal is wrong. It causes suffering and starvation and the animal can become a threat if the animal becomes sick or violent from lack of food, rabies, an injury or any other problem. You wouldn’t want your children around a potential rabid dog, right? Then don’t leave your “former” pet around others.

If you have a pet and can’t keep it, call a shelter, put an ad in the newspaper, or AT LEAST be sure it has been spayed or neutered so the cycle of unwanted animals is reduced; Cats or dogs. Every year I see a sign on a mailbox on OO Highway offering free cats. That’s someone who refuses to have an animal fixed and is adding to the already HUGE problem.  Let’s stop the cycle of misery and suffering.