[RDOWS]

http://www.macon.com/149/story/284699.html

Posted on Mon, Mar. 03, 2008

Macon committee to study animal control issues
By Matt Barnwell - mbarnwell@macon.com

A Macon City Council committee today appointed an ad hoc panel that
will take a closer look at animal control issues.

Animal control has been a hot topic at City Hall for the past month.
The decision by the council's Public Safety Committee to empanel an ad
hoc committee was first proposed as council members debated whether to
ban use of the gas chamber to kill stray animals. Animal lovers and
some council members say lethal injection is more humane.

But that discussion sparked talk of larger issues in animal control,
particularly in managing and reducing the stray pet population.

"We're really overdue for an overhaul of our animal polices," said
Councilwoman Nancy White, who also sponsored an ordinance last month
banning unattended outdoor tethering of dogs and cats. White will
serve on the committee with Councilman Larry Schlesinger.

About 85 percent of the animals that pass through the shelter are
destroyed. In 2007, death was the fate for 3,970 of the 4,687 dogs and
cats taken to Animal Control, which is tucked in next to the landfill
on 11th Street.

Only 160 animals were adopted, and most of the rest were reclaimed by
their owners. The city must keep dogs and cats for seven days. After
that, if they are not adopted or sent to a rescue organization, those
animals are euthanized.

The state banned construction of gas chambers after 1990, but allowed
the facilities to continue to be used for euthanasia if they existed
prior to then.

White said she expects the committee will tackle euthanasia first and
will look at the costs of switching to lethal injection. Macon's
animal control director has said lethal injection would be more expensive.

White said the panel also will look at various fees charged by animal
control and license fees that are billed to pet owners. The city has
had problems collecting animal license fees since they were raised in
2002.

For more on this story, return to macon.com and read Tuesday's Telegraph.