City needs to invest in animal shelter

It is time for the City of Porterville to bite the bullet and move ahead with construction of an animal control facility in Porterville.

A few years ago the city made the mistake of purchasing the old, inadequate and troubled Lindsay Animal Control facility. That facility is wrought with problems and any idea the city had to make that its permanent animal control facility, should be immediately abandoned. Plus, it is at least 10 miles away, making it costly to run animals there and back, and out of the way for people to look at animals for adoption or retrieve lost pets.

A report issued by the UC Davis Koret Shelter Medicine Program tells us the city is failing at adequately providing for stray animals and much of that failing can be attributed to the shelter in Lindsay. For years that shelter, when run by the City of Lindsay, was under constant criticism for its inadequate and unhealthy conditions. It was the target of sev- eral scathing reports, including one by the Tulare County Grand Jury. However, since Porterville took it over it has been improved. In fact, the grand jury a year ago give the city high marks for the shelter.

The latest report is very critical and there is a growing number of people in town, including those on the city’s newly formed Animal Control Committee, who feel it is time to finally construct a facility here and we agree.

It will not be cheap. In today’s world, anything government builds is very expensive. Visalia’s new facility cost several million dollars and the city has already balked at one proposal to build a shelter because of the cost.

We encourage the city to make the shelter a priority, and to build a facility for the future. It does not have to be fancy, but large enough to serve the community for many years. Building something less will only end up costing more in the long run.

The city council needs to act. There is no excuse for doing anything else.