Poor stray dogs hit by a car

SALINAS, Calif -- The Animal Friends Rescue Project is looking for donations to help a Australian Shepherd hit by a car Saturday.AFRP received an urgent call from Monterey County Animal Services Saturday  about a severely injured mini Australian Shepherd which had been struck by an oncoming car on Blanco Road outside of Salinas.  The dog had been hit and the force flung him into a ditch on the side of the road.  Animal Control responded and took him to a vet for evaluation. 


Due to the severity of the injury the shelter requested help from AFRP for further care.  "Cappy" was transported  Pet Specialists of Monterey for further evaluation and treatment.Veterinarians determined "Cappy" had a severely fractured spine requiring major surgery to stabilize his back and an injury to his eye.    "Cappy" was immobilized to stop any further damage to his spine and  needs immediate surgery in order to keep him from becoming paralyzed.

The Sanford-Springvale area has one of the highest surrender rates in York County for unwanted cats. Personally, this is not a statistic I'm very proud of — it's one the Sanford-Springvale Animal Welfare Team, the Animal Welfare Society (AWS) and I have been working diligently to change. We have opened a free pet food pantry, we host low-cost vaccination clinics, we provide sources for discounted veterinary care, we have started multiple educational programs in the community, and the AWS now offers low-cost cat spay/neuter service right at the shelter for $39.95. I even do pick-up and delivery when possible!

A "stray" means and animal is "off the owner's premises and not under the control of a person." These are the vast majority of the cats taken to the shelter! And a lot of them are pregnant!

Now let's move on to who is responsible for what Maine State Law reads: An "owner" means a person "owning, keeping or harboring a dog or other animal." A "keeper" means a person "in possession or control of a dog or other animal. A person becomes the keeper of a stray domesticated animal, other than a dog or livestock, if the person feeds that animal for at least 10 consecutive days."

I would ask that you give realistic thought to any animal you may be considering becoming the owner or keeper of. Are you diligent in keeping identification on your pets? Are you comfortably meeting the needs of the pet(s) you already have? Do you have experience caring for this type of pet? Have you considered the cost of emergency veterinary care? Do you have a contingency plan should you no longer be able to care for the animal or have to move? Do you know how much basic care of the animal costs? Do you understand the importance of spaying/neutering the animal to prevent overpopulation problems? Can you afford to spay/neuter all your pets? Are you willing and able to take the time to get some help caring for this pet should you need it?