Good Thoughts Needed.

[Sevaede]

Lane County Animal Regulation Authority/Lane County Animal Services (LCARA/LCAS)[same place] is closing. They don't have the money to stay open.

People are acting as if ignoring the animals will make them drop off of the face of the planet. Also, this leaves one less low cost spay/neuter option! (Yes, the city has [or, had] their own spay/neuter clinic).
All the employees have been fired. The new county budget proposal will not allow for the money that the animal shelter needs and they have been "slated for shutdown".

The link is
here (http://www.kmtr.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=aedb7163-f354-4116-b9ec-57c6fedd32f1&rss=191) .



Lane County pink slips delivered
Reported by: Nohelani Graf
Email: [email protected]
Last Update: 7:11 am
Print Story | Email Story

Animal Idol
Animal Idol

Eugene (KMTR) - All 16 employees of Lane County Animal Services were handed pink slips Tuesday. Under Lane County’s new budget proposal L.C.A.S. will not get the $585,000 it needs to operate, and is slated for a shutdown.

Kennel manager Tom Howard says Health and Human Services delivered the notices, effective May 29th, 2008, for his entire staff Tuesday afternoon. Howard believes the pink slips are the county's way of getting people prepared for a closure. However, Howard says until the Lane County commissioners adopt the new budget in May nothing is set in stone and his employees are not going anywhere.

“We’re not going to throw in the towel; we have a job to do. We provide a service to Lane County and we'll do it to the last day, if there is a last day.” Howard said.

The budget proposal calls for L.C.A.S. to stop taking animals on May 29th and transfer the ones they do have to other humane societies and possibly other counties in Oregon. After that date it will be up to individual cities to handle animal control and provide a shelter.

The cities of Springfield and Eugene currently contract the county to provide animal services. Neither city has a back up plan yet, but both will meet with county commissioners to discuss their options in early May.


The kennel manager seems to ignore the fact that they have been FIRED. F-I-R-E-D. You have been ACTUALLY fired! You ARE going some place. What, do you think you can stay and they'll keep paying you and things will be hunky dory? What's going to happen when you try to go to work on May 30 and find that you can't get inside? You've already been told that you're not getting the money. It's not like they'll hand it to you and go, "PSYCH!". What are you expecting?

/rant.

[Catty1]

However, Howard says until the Lane County commissioners adopt the new budget in May nothing is set in stone and his employees are not going anywhere.

“We’re not going to throw in the towel; we have a job to do. We provide a service to Lane County and we'll do it to the last day, if there is a last day.” Howard said.

Sounds like they are being somewhat realistic - and committed - hoping the public will put pressure on the gov't.

I wish them luck - I wish I had Oprah's income and could at least give shelters a bare operating expense.

Please send them the info in the link - this is the first year our local Humane is doing this - and 95 people have registered their garage sales.

I bet they could get some basic funds....

http://www.cochranehumane.ca/html/news_events/events.htm#garagesale

[Medusa]

I wish them luck - I wish I had Oprah's income and could at least give shelters a bare operating expense.
Me, too. It gets worse every day w/shelters, etc. and people needing more and more help. I swear, I'll never be able to retire and so many people w/problems, it sometimes seems endless. Somehow it always works out, though. (usually) It truly is not in the budget for me to donate any money at this time. My house has major water damage and ant issues and people have been coming to me for loans and, if I can, I always help. But I need to think of my fur posse and always have a reserve just in case one of them gets sick. Oh my, I wish them well.

[lizbud]

If the budget hasn't been signed yet, there could be some hope for the
shelter. How many people live in your city? They should speak up to the
local authorities & find money to keep this place open. It really is a legitimate
function of any city government.

[dukedogsmom]

Until people stop treating animals as pieces of property, it won't stop. There was a woman on the phone the other night complaining because her cat had kittens under her trailer. She wanted to surrender them all. Her excuse? She had small children. What does that have to do with anything? Just makes my blood boil. People like that shouldn't be allowed to breed.

[DJFyrewolf36]

Sigh another example of people not giving a crud about animals :(

Im in agreement with the employees though, until it closes officially they still have a job to do. I don't know, I'd start doing it unpaid to protest lol.

I hope the budget isn't signed though!