So, now that FOHCAS (Friends of Habersham County Animal Shelter) will not be running the animal shelter, effective Sept. 17, the group hopefully can focus on its main goal of saving as many dogs and cats as possible. 
 
Habersham County has an animal problem. The shelter is constantly full and an inexcusable number of adoptable animals are put down every week because of irresponsible, uncaring owners who won't take proper care of their animals.

FOHCAS has an immediate, urgent need for volunteers and financial support to continue its adoption and rescue efforts, as well as to support the shelter activities it traditionally has performed. 
 
FOHCAS also will assist the county in improving the condition at the shelter through sponsorships of specific projects, depending on the level of support it can get from the community.

Increased educational services through local schools, civic and service organizations can go only so far in making our community aware of the fast-growing problem of unwanted, abused and neglected animals in our county. 
 
One simple way the community can help is for all of us to be more responsible pet owners. Simple steps like having your animals spayed or neutered can go a long way in helping with the animal control problem we are experiencing.

Containing your animals, instead of letting them roam free, is another method that will help. Chaining is inhumane, but providing a fenced yard and keeping your animals on your property can make a big difference. 
 
Another surprisingly easy method of keeping animals out of the shelter is identification. How difficult is it to keep a collar and identification tag on your pet?

Again, Habersham County has an animal problem. 
 
On second thought, Habersham County has a people problem that results in animal control issues. To make meaningful progress, we as pet owners need to step up and take responsibility for our animals. After all, that is where the real responsibility lies.

Written by: Ricky Shaw

Paraphrased from Letter To County from FOHCAS

Since our last meeting on 18 July 2008 (“meeting”), the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Friends of Habersham County Animal Shelter (“FOHCAS”) has met and discussed the issues and other matters we discussed with you at the meeting. 
 

• We are currently deferring most owner surrenders of dogs and cats (“dogs and cats”) in order to reduce overcrowding and to avoid resorting to euthanasia solely for space reasons.
• We have been in communication with the Department of Agriculture inspector regarding shelter staffing and have conducted additional training for the staff provided pro bono by Dr. Wonders’ clinical personnel.
• We have substantially increased efforts to obtain the financial and volunteer support of the community that is so vitally needed for FOHCAS to operate.

As I indicated at the meeting, it is the intent and desire of FOHCAS to comply with the terms of the shelter contract to the maximum extent possible.  However, as a charitable organization existing primarily to help improve the conditions of unwanted, neglected and abused dogs and cats (“dogs and cats in need”) in our area, the primary mission of FOHCAS is to do all it can to protect the lives of and provide humane care to the dogs and cats in need for which it is responsible. 

As a result, an inherent conflict exists between the expectations of the County with respect to the manner in which the shelter is operated, particularly in terms of the use of euthanasia as a means to regulate the companion animal population at the shelter.  Unfortunately, as we generally discussed in the meeting, this conflict is getting worse rather than better due to a number of factors including, but not limited to:

• a rapidly growing population of dogs and cats in need in our area,
• increasing activity by County Animal Control resulting in more and more dogs and cats in need being seized and delivered to the shelter,
• lack of enforcement of the current County ordinance requiring licensing of dogs and cats,
• inadequate County ordinances regarding the proper level of care to be provided to dogs and cats,
• inadequate government efforts to significantly increase the rate of spaying/neutering of dogs and cats in our area through better  ordinances for animal care and licensing as well as providing affordable spaying and neutering for dogs and cats,
• increased difficulty in obtaining the necessary financial and volunteer support from the public to provide for the rapidly increasing needs of the dogs and cats taken to the shelter, and
• a shelter that has long been inadequate in terms of the space and facilities needed to properly and humanely handle the increasing numbers of dogs and cats in need brought to the shelter.

For these and other reasons, the Board has unanimously determined that FOHCAS can no longer operate the shelter for the County and accordingly FOHCAS cannot renew the shelter contract following expiration of the current term on 17 September 2008.  This decision was extremely difficult for the Board but given the disturbing trends and conditions described above, the Board sees no realistic alternative with respect to the operation of the shelter. 
 

The Board does, however, believe that if FOHCAS can redirect the substantial energies and resources that have been required for it to operate the shelter into other activities more in keeping with its primary mission, FOHCAS will be a better and more effective partner with the County in the future.  It is our hope that we can work cooperatively with the County and the community FOHCAS serves to provide a number of critically needed services in direct and indirect support to the shelter including, but not limited to:

• providing vitally needed adoption, rescue transport and other services focused solely on the welfare of the dogs and cats in need that are taken to the shelter,
• supplementing the efforts of the shelter staff in terms of providing volunteers who can give additional services such as nurturing, socialization, grooming, and photography to the dogs and cats at the shelter,
• providing the impetus and support for more effective local government ordinances and programs regarding the proper care and licensing of dogs and cats and for substantially increased and affordable spaying/neutering,
• working with the County and other individuals and organizations to expand and improve the shelter in order to better handle the increasing numbers of dogs and cats in need in our area, and
• working closely with local governments and school systems, civic groups and other private organizations to better educate and inform people in our area regarding the proper care of and responsibility for dogs and cats.

To that end, we will fully cooperate with and assist the County in completing an orderly transition of operation of the shelter to the County by the end of the current contract term on 17 September 2008.  In addition, we hope that we can establish an effective contractual arrangement with the County for future cooperation, including for example, providing those supplementary services outlined above in order to save as many dogs and cats in need as possible and to maximize the level of care given them at the shelter.  We look forward to working with the County in this regard.