SHELTER: PET POPULATION GROWS

More pets were taken to the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri and put to death during 1998 than in past years, according to figures released by the society.

During 1998, 5,438 animals were taken into the Cape Girardeau shelter as compared to 5,141 in 1997. Nearly 1,000 animals were adopted from the shelter and an additional 237 were returned to their owners.

But a growing problem with pet-overpopulation in the region is partly to blame for the increased number of animals taken to the shelter, said Cynthia Kothe, program coordinator for the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri.

And that increase means that many of the animals will be euthanized because they aren't adopted. The shelter euthanizes about 75 percent of the animals it receives. More than 4,000 animals were put to death during 1998.

Although the vast majority of animals brought to the shelter were dogs and cats, the numbers also included hamsters, gerbils, rabbits, snakes, lizards and birds. A few exotic animals were also taken into the shelter, including a South American short-tailed opossum that required identification help from a local pet store.

While all the exotic animals have been adopted after being brought to the shelter, the same isn't true of the cats and dogs.

Only about 20 percent of the dogs taken into the shelter are ever adopted. Another seven percent are returned to their owners while others die in the shelter or in foster care. A few dogs have been stolen.

Nearly 70 percent of the dogs brought into the shelter are euthanized.

With cats, the numbers are even greater. Nearly 87 percent of the cats brought to the shelter are put to death. In 1998, 1,896 cats were taken in and 1,653, were euthanized.

The number of animals euthanized last year increased by 275 from 1997. In 1998, 4,098 animals were euthanized while 3,823 were put to death in the previous year.

For many years, the percentage of animals euthanized by the shelter has remained constant at about 75 percent, but the problem does not seem to be getting any better. On Sunday, the shelter had to destroy 18 animals.

"Sometimes the public perception is not very flattering," Kothe said. "But the people who do the euthanizing really love animals more than anything."

The unfortunate reality, Kothe said, is that there is simply not enough space for a growing pet population.

"And these are just the ones we see," she said. "We don't see the ones that are hit by cars or starve to death or die of disease or attack and kill each other. There are so many."

The easiest way to combat the pet-overpopulation problem and the growing number of euthanasia cases would be to spay or neuter pets, Kothe said.

In addition to dealing with the problem of pet overpopulation, the Humane Society also assists law enforcement in cases of animal abuse by responding to abuse and neglect reports and working with animal control. Kothe said the Humane Society receives reports of abuse and neglect nearly every day.

Many of the cases involve people who don't tend to the basic needs of their pets. During the winter, people report seeing pets left out in the cold and ice without adequate food and shelter. In summer months, they report pets left outdoors without enough water or shade.

But the cases of neglect, Kothe said, are worse.

"During the first few weeks I began working for the Humane Society we got a frantic call from someone saying that their cat had been set on fire," she said.

On Sunday, a woman brought in a dog that had mange so bad that it only had hair down the middle of its back. Its stomach was so raw with sores that it bled and the animal had to be wrapped in a blanket to be picked up.

"The dog was so weakened that it couldn't lift its leg to scratch," Kothe said. The animal had to be immediately euthanized.

But even with all the stories of euthanasia and animal abuse, there are also stories of animals being adopted or returned to their owners.

In one case, a local veterinarian was passing through the shelter when she saw a Bassett hound she recognized. She hadn't seen the dog in several months, but called the family to whom the dog belonged.

The family told the doctor that the dog had been missing for nearly a year. They came down to the shelter to reclaim their pet.

"The dog remembered them and started jumping up and down," Kothe said. "There was a lot of hugging and kissing."