Ivory Tower

Today we offer a musical dedication to Brownsville’s dogged mayor, Pat Ahumada: “Too Many Puppies,” by Primus.

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Poor Mayor Pat. He really loves animals, and he’s been quite public about his efforts to make the world better for our four-legged friends. Right after taking office as mayor he imposed a moratorium on euthanasia at the city animal shelter.

And what he get for his trouble? This animal lover is now known as the only mayor who’s gotten the shelter sanctioned by the state Department of State health Services for inhumane conditions. The center’s been on probation since its Sept. 6 inspection, and it could be shut down completely if it fails its next review.

Some but not all of the problems stem from the no-kill policy, which has since been lifted; they’re killing critters again. The state found, among other things, that cages were overcrowded, and that they were too small to begin with. Overcrowding might have contributed to other defects, including unsanitary conditions such as contaminated food, mold on the ceiling and inadequate gutter and drainage system for washing away all the poop. Cages and even the storage room was grungy.

As we have noted before, this is beginning to sound like those cases we read about all too often, where little old ladies start taking in strays one by one, convinced that they’re saving the animals from a horrible life on the street. Instead, the animals live stranded inside the old ladies’ homes that become horrible squalid because the animals take over the place and it’s impossible to keep the place in order, much less clean.

At least in those cases the animals get to run around the place. In Ahumada’s sanctuary they’re cooped up most of the day, only getting to go out for a little exercise if and when a worker has the time to take them out to the little walking pen.
You’d think that somebody on the city staff would know better. You’d hope that somebody would have the courage to tell our “junkyard dog” of a mayor something that he has to hear, even if he doesn’t want to.

Is love blind? Looks like it; at least in this case, Ahumada’s love for animals appears to have blinded him to the possibility that a humane death is better than an inhumane existence for these animals. Even the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, one of the most radical pro-animal advocacy groups, gets it.

Keep in mind that states utilize wildlife hunting seasons — which many PETA members oppose — as a way to keep game populations in check, because overcrowding leads to encroachment on developed areas, attacks on humans, and more horrible deaths of animals getting smashed on our roadways. If hunters don’t harvest enough animals, game wardens go out and get some more.

We’re always going to have too many puppies in Brownsville — and kitties, too. Look at the way so many people treat their own children, and even themselves. The entire city isn’t going to suddenly, miraculously, become more considerate in its treatment of the most helpless among our midst — especially when so many city residents don’t think strays are helpless; they’re convinced that the animals can take care of themselves, and might even be happy running around loose in packs, just like God originally made them.

We can appreciate the mayor’s love of animals, and his desire to do the right thing. Unfortunately, however, when it comes to stray animals, doing the right thing doesn’t necessarily mean avoiding bloodshed at all costs.

This entry was posted on Monday, September 24th, 2007 at 4:14 pm and is filed under Daily. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.