Bay Village City Council Abandons No Kill Animal Shelter

It looks like a crime scene: a closed  building  with yellow police tape around it. To Bay Village, Ohio, animal advocates, laying off of their only animal control officer and  closing their small "no kill" animal shelter is indeed a crime perpetrated on pets by the Mayor and City Council.

Local advocates are outraged by  the council' s disregard for public safety and their  decision to ship Bay Village's dogs and cats off to animal control agencies with much higher euthanasia rates. They are working hard to get the council to reconsider their decision. They created a petition on Change.org to convince the city to reinstate its lone animal control officer. Saturday morning, they will exercise their right to free speech by  taking to the streets to peacefully protest the council's actions.

The closure is allegedly because of money. Mayor Deborah Sutherland explained the change in an email: "The rationale was based on budgetary constraints and planning for future massive budget cuts in state funding that we will experience through 2013. The state of Ohio balanced its budget on the backs of local governments — a move that will reduce my General Fund Revenue by 10 percent or approximately $1.0 million."

The Mayor's explanation sounds plausible, until you speak to one of the many activists organizing the campaign to reinstate animal control. When asked about the monetary concerns, Nancy Brown is skeptical. "To save $40,000 a year, the city abandons animal control, shipping pets to a high kill shelter, yet the Mayor has a brand new car on the taxpayers' dime? They are even talking about installing a sprinkler system in a soccer park, but they eliminate animal control? Public safety and our pets should be a concern.  This council has their priorities all wrong."

Humanitarians living in  Bay Village were  extremely proud of their  low euthanasia rate compared with other shelters in the area. It seems like the Police Department was proud of the job, too, and admit that animal control isn't their officers' area of expertise, despite the mayor's assertion that "our police officers are responding in exactly the same way as when the ACO was off duty. Our officers receive training from the County Dog Warden and her staff."

According to a memo to the Mayor from Lt. Holiday of  the Bay Village Police Department, other than the Animal Control Officer, no member of the Bay Village Police Department has the skills, knowledge, and expertise to perform her duties. "The supposition that the elimination of the Bay Village Animal Control Officer is an improvement in the efficiency and effectiveness in the police operation is diametrically opposed to the reality of what is about to happen."

As an attorney, I agree. Let's see how much money the city saves in lawsuits that could stem from this Ill-conceived  decision the first time a police officer shoots a dog or  the next time a dog running  at large mauls a child. Maybe then the Council will realize a safe, humane community is important and a bargain at $40,000 a year.

If you're in the Bay Village, Ohio area on Saturday, join the Friends of Bay Village Kennel for a rally to stop sending their pets to kill centers (pdf). You can also support their protest by signing the petition.

Photo Credit: Doc Wheeler - Bay Village, Ohio  Animal Shelter