December 14, 2008Comments are closed.Lost Dogs Home, resistance
As rescues across the country brace for the xmas rush, one metropolitan council has taken the perverse step of reducing their communities capacity to save the lives of dogs and cats by enforcing a law previously ignored for 75 years.
Council pounces, stripping Lort Smith of its pound status
Victoria’s largest animal hospital has been banned from finding new homes for cats and dogs lost in the City of Melbourne, as local pounds brace for a sharp increase in the number of pets dumped over Christmas.
After helping to rehouse abandoned pets for the past 75 years, Lort Smith Animal Hospital has suddenly been ordered by Melbourne City Council to transfer all seized animals to a North Melbourne pound.
Lort Smith director of development Cath Hoban said the animal hospital was unaware it could not house and rehome seized animals under its shelter licence.
“It has been brought to our attention that we can no longer provide pound services under our shelter licence,” she said.
“Lost animals seized by council rangers or members of the public and brought to Lort Smith will be treated and cared for in the first instance and then transferred as soon as practicable to the appropriate facility,” Ms Hoban said.
The Lort Smith is one of the good guys, having recently joined forces with the progressive Animal Welfare League of Australia group who include No Kill branches like the AWL QLD. They raised over $125,000 in September at their first ever Strays Birthday fundraising event and $130,000 at their November Gala Dinner from animal lovers who want to see pet’s lives saved. They run rehabilitation and foster care networks, support for victims of domestic violence and an adoption program through Pets at Home. They even have a television show on Channel 9.
But this organisation, focussed on saving lives and protecting pets has now had it’s core business and primary life saving capacity removed two weeks from Christmas. So where will the pets go now?
