By Karen Gleason
The 830 Times
Two animal advocates and volunteer rescuers spoke to city council members recently, urging them to “at least” upgrade the city’s animal control facility and to develop ordinances to foster “responsible pet ownership.”
The two rescuers spoke during the citizen comments portion of the council’s Nov. 19 meeting.
Del Rioan Katelyn Hargrove Hurta spoke to the council first.
Hurta told council members she was speaking on behalf of the
Rescue Coalition, speaks to city council member, urging them to continue working
toward building a new animal services facility and developing ordinances to address the
root problem of animal overpopulation in Del Rio. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
Animal Advocacy & Rescue Coalition (AARC) of Del Rio.
“We’re a local rescue (organization) here in Del Rio, and I just came to speak to you guys regarding the new animal control facility. I’m here to speak in support of that, mainly because the current facility is failing inspections and has been for years at this point.
“There are rarely working air conditioners in the kennels. At one point there were no working heaters. I’m not sure if that’s been remedied yet. Hopefully it will be before the cold weather sets in,” she said.
“I just wanted to reach out to you guys and say we support this, and we hope you guys will vote to update the facility at least, get it up to code, and we hope that with that, you guys will adopt ordinances that will get to the root problem in Del Rio.
“There’s a massive overpopulation issue. This year alone, to this point, we have taken in over 200 animals into our organization from the streets of Del Rio, and that’s just dogs. We desperately need help. We need the city to come on board and adopt ordinances that will get to the root of the problem and kind of take it seriously and update your facility so we can not only better Del Rio for the animals, but also for the people that live here.
“We would really appreciate it,” Hurta finished.
Another AARC animal rescuer, Tess O’Brien, also spoke to the council about the city’s animal issues.
O’Brien told the council she was born and raised in Del Rio,
speaks to city council members about the need for Del Rioans to have greater access to
affordable spay and neuter care for dogs and cats. (Photo by Karen Gleason)
adding she “has seen the community grow in terms of animal welfare issues.”
“But we are not finished. I have the privilege to serve those who cannot serve themselves, and I use that privilege. How many times do you guys visit animal control a year? I’m going to guess none. How many times do you meet a friendly dog or cat (at the facility), only to return the next week, and they are gone because they have been euthanized for space because we have an overpopulation issue here in the city,” she said.
“Other than occasionally assisting a certain volunteer that works her butt off at that facility, I had to take a step back from going to the facility because it’s so depressing. It’s a mess over there and yes, some places are worse, but why are we comparing ourselves to those who do less?
“This is not a blow at the ACS (animal control service) staff. This is to you, city council, and those who have the power to make this city better and who refuse to acknowledge that there is a problem to begin with,” she said.
“There is a homeless animal problem here in Del Rio, and it’s embarrassing, honestly, that those in power do little to nothing to remedy this. The only answer is access to affordable spay and neuter services and creating ordinances that enforce responsible pet ownership. You can continue to feign ignorance or get on board and make a difference. Thank you,” O’Brien finished.
The writer can be reached at delriomagnoliafan@gmail.com.
