In an article in the Jan. 12 edition of New Times, Glen Starkey did a disservice to the staff, the volunteers, and ultimately to the animals at the San Luis Obispo County Animal Services Shelter (“The volunteers at Meade Canine Rescue & Sanctuary chip away at insurmountable problem”).
Anyone reading this article about the admirable Meade Canine Rescue would come away with the impression that a dog that ended up at the SLO County shelter would be put down within 72 hours. This is appallingly false. Our county shelter, mentioned dismissively in the article as a “kill shelter,” has an outstanding live outcome rate of 94 percent. Even when the shelter is at overflowing capacity with more than 50 dogs and 100 cats, the vast majority are saved and cared for on an indefinite basis, both at the shelter and through connections with several foster home and rescue programs.
In addition, a simple visit to the C.A.R.E.4Paws Snip and Chip SLO website has plenty of information on low cost spay and neuter, as well as vaccination options for lower income pet owners.
This article appears in Jan 19-29, 2023.