Saving The Dogs And Cats of Douglas County

Saving The Dogs And Cats of Douglas County is a grass roots effort to bring attention to the recent changes at Douglas county animal control. The family that started the petition, adopted a DCAC dog last September from our shelter. They went to a lot of effort and expense to rescue the little dog named Duce. I for one believe that they and many others who the board of commissioners are choosing to ignore because they are not county residents, have a voice and a vested interest in our animal shelter. It is through their caring and concern, combined with the dedication of many volunteers and now former dedicated shelter staff, that hundreds of animals were adopted and rescued from the Douglas county animal shelter over the last fourteen months.

There have been many hundreds of people involved in the success of our animal shelter over the past year and many of those involved do not live in Douglas county. Of the many rescues that have been encouraged to rescue animals from our shelter, none are local Douglas county rescues, all are outside of Douglas county. These rescues are all located elsewhere, but they have been encouraged to come to Douglas county to rescue animals through the combined efforts of dozens of volunteers and staff networking these animals daily.

Yet our board of commissioners are on record discounting the value of anyone concerned about our shelter unless they live in Douglas county. For the record, there exists a network of hundreds of people and affiliated rescues nationally who have worked together to pull animals and rescue them from our shelter over the past year. But somehow this doesn't seem to register with our board of commissioners as a point of valid concern.

The animals of Douglas County are in grave danger. The present animal services director is a regressive pro animal control and pro enforcement manager who has demonstrated his intent to make Douglas county one of the most regressive and antiquated animal welfare counties in the region.

Rick Smith is determined to turn back the clock and disregard the efforts of dedicated volunteers and the dedicated staff who have sweated blood over the past year to make Douglas County Animal Control a model of progressive animal welfare success. Their combined efforts have led to the re-homing and rescuing of hundreds of abandoned and stray animals in Douglas county in 2012.

As a result of these combined efforts, the Douglas county animal shelter finished the year with a 16% euthanasia rate and an 82% rate of animals leaving the facility alive last year.That is about to change dramatically.

As a now ex-board member of the Douglas County Animal Control Advisory board, I can now speak up and speak out openly on behalf of the animals and I can speak out against Rick Smith and his plans to reverse all of the positive changes that have taken place in the past year. I encourage all who care about the welfare of animals in Douglas County, to actively petition our commissioners to seek his removal immediately from his position with the county. Before more animals are killed to satisfy his desire to abandon the success of the past year and impose his own antiquated views of animal control as an enforcement only function. The citizens of Douglas county need to speak up and be heard by their commissioners.

I encourage all Douglas County residents who care about their animals to sign this petition and to encourage their friends and neighbors to sign it. Rick Smith must be stopped and shown the door. We don't need him or his animosity toward the community or his animosity toward the staff and volunteers who have made Douglas county a shining example of progressive animal welfare management in Georgia. We certainly do not need his antiquated record of killing over 70,000 animals over the course of his career in Missouri, transferred here to our community.

Speaking for myself and others, we do not need or want Rick Smith in Douglas County in any capacity at our animal shelter.

If you agree and you are equally concerned about the welfare of animals in Douglas county, please follow the link below and let your voice be heard on behalf of the animals. Also, let your county commissioners know how you feel, as they seem to believe that only county residents should be heard on this issue. Let them hear from you.

Petition LINK