Wickenburg stray dogs go to Phoenix shelter

By Janet DelTufo, Assistant Editor

This was one of five local stray dogs that were taken to the Arizona Human Society earlier this week after not being adopted by a someone locally.

With a lack of shelter space in Wickenburg, local stray dogs not adopted after several weeks are moved to the Arizona Humane Society in hopes of finding new homes in the Valley.

Earlier this week, the Town of Wickenburg transported five dogs that had been housed at Bar S Animal Clinic for more than three weeks to the Arizona Humane Society in Phoenix.

Bar S is currently contracted with the town to house stray dogs when they are picked up by Wickenburg Animal Control. The Town of Wickenburg has a three-day pay policy on the dogs it picks up within town limits. Once the dog is picked up, the town will pay for the feeding and caring of the dog at Bar S for three days. At the end of that three-day period, the town ends it financial responsibility for the respective dog.

Once the Humane Society of Wickenburg obtains the necessary funding to build its own shelter, which will be situated two doors from Bar S, it will take responsibility for dogs that remain unclaimed or are not adopted after the three-day period.

“The Town of Wickenburg, as many or most other towns, is in crisis mode with its abandoned animals,” said Humane Society of Wickenburg President Marianne Swanston. “I imagine that in the greater scheme of things, this is a small problem. But it is my problem … and if you are a resident or taxpayer, a neighbor, an animal lover, or you work with animal care, it is also your problem. What we need is to find a way to solve this problem.”

Meanwhile, until Wickenburg gets its own dedicated shelter, the Arizona Humane Society says it will keep trying to work with Wickenburg. According to the Arizona Society, this is not the first time it has received dogs from Wickenburg through its “Reach Out Project.”

“We will take dogs from other shelters around the state when they are full, and we have worked with the Town of Wickenburg several times in the past,” said Arizona Humane Society representative Kim Noetzel. “The dogs that are brought here go up for adoption as long as they are healthy and friendly, and after they are screened for health and temperament.”

Noetzel said the Arizona Humane Society has had to use euthanasia on dogs because of health and temperament reasons. However, she said the organization has not had to put any dogs to sleep due to space issues for more than five years.

The five local dogs that were moved to Phoenix earlier this week were relocated because Wickenburg Animal Control could not pick up any new dogs due to lack of space at Bar S.

Each of these five dogs was featured a number of times in The Wickenburg Sun. As well, lost and found classified ads for pets are free at The Wickenburg Sun.

Swanston said the Humane Society of Wickenburg was generously awarded a grant from the Wellik Foundation for free cat and dog spay/neutering. She said only through spay/neutering and education will the cycle of unwanted animals come to an end.

“It is very hard to look into the eyes of a healthy and trusting animal and inject the shot (euthanasia) that takes their lives away,” Swanston said. “And it is unfair to ask the few who do so much to do more. I ask the community to contribute, educate, and do his or her part to stop animal reproduction and animal abuse. Through hard work and generous donors, we have purchased land to build a shelter. We now need to secure the funds in order to get a shelter built. Animal care is a lot more serious than tick removal. I hope everyone will please help.”

For more information about the Humane Society of Wickenburg, contact 684-8801 or visit its Web site at http://www.wickenburghumane.org/

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