PEORIA -- Of 2,700 dogs arriving at the Peoria City/County Animal Shelter last year, 1,100 were pit bulls. "Some are not adoptable. Do you keep it for life in a cage? What about the quality of life?"
Peoria County Humane Society president Lise Mundwiller spoke to a Peoria County Board committee on Jan. 20 discussing animal shelter problems, and did not appear to support a 'no-kill' shelter. The shelter now kills about 5,000 animals each year, out of 7,000 it accepts.
She suggested a free spay-neuter program for "farm cats" and pit bulls, and said the shelter can only handle 55 adult dogs, 30 puppies and 100 cats and kittens.
The committee informally discussed various ideas, including how to charge for the 10 percent of animals brought there from other counties, whether to require all animals be micro-chiped, even whether to adopt special legislation for the pit bull problem, to reduce their numbers.
But county attorney Bill Atkins nixed that idea. "How do you prove it's a pit bull?" he asked. He once got involved in a court case over whether an animal was actually a dog, he said. "Specific breed laws are very difficult to enforce."
Instead, officials could focus on whether a dog is dangerous, he said. Some pit bulls are loving, others said.
The committee meets again at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
It's making plans to take over the shelter from the city, which ditched it to save money. Board members have expressed interest in increasing adoptions and decreasing the kill rate. It can enact a variety of ordinances depending on the policies it accepts.
-- Elaine Hopkins
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