To the Reader’s Forum:

On behalf of the Chautauqua County Humane Society (CCHS), we thank The Post-Journal for their article on Thursday, August 17th ( “Doing All We Can – Resident Petitions City Council for Help Regarding Dog” Region, page A5) and also Merry Williams-Diers for bringing the situation to light. Not only does this article serve to heighten the awareness of animal cruelty and neglect, but it also provides an opening for conversation and collaboration to address these issues going forward.

The staff at CCHS were distressed to hear of the circumstances of the dog suffering from a severe skin issue. We were also incredibly frustrated that, due to legal and bureaucratic limitations, we were unable to step in to assist the dog.

The City of Jamestown, under the jurisdiction of the Jamestown Dog Control Officer and the Jamestown Police Department, have a contract with a different agency to hold and care for dogs they seize and find running at large. Additionally, CCHS has no authority to seize animals or to go onto private property, regardless of the jurisdiction. Contrary to the claim in the Post-Journal article, if CCHS had the legal authority to take the dog, no matter the medical needs, we would have done so.

Animal cruelty and neglect is horrific and heart wrenching. It is more common than one would wish to think. Suffering animals are falling through the cracks here in Chautauqua County and in many parts of our country. Sadly, this is a recurring problem. The funds for municipal shelters, humane officers, and community outreach are limited and local police are overworked with their myriad of duties.

This needs to be fixed. So many of us in the community have pets that we dearly love and care for compassionately. It hurts to see that this is not the case with all animal owners. Whether it is due to owner cruelty, indifference, or simply owners’ limited resources or personal circumstances, it is the animal that ultimately suffers.

The City of Jamestown Police and Dog Control Officer have limited resources to respond fully to situations such as these. The same is true of all jurisdictions, as well as for CCHS. But our community has an abundance of caring individuals and other stakeholders who can come together to create a better system than what we have currently with all entities working separately.

New York State has recently enacted legislation, the Companion Animal Care Standards Act, that mandates high standards for care for animals in shelter situations. CCHS is actively reviewing its facilities and procedures to ensure compliance. This review, along with the needs of the greater community, may result in expanded facilities and services that CCHS will be able to supply toward greater assistance for animals, provided that adequate funding is available. Even so, CCHS alone cannot solve all of these problems; we need the greater community to become involved.

Some may argue that care for people and care of animals are two separate issues and that people must be cared for first. But the fact is that animals and people are inexorably bound and a community cannot be considered to be humane without care being offered to all living beings. Let’s start the conversations of collaboration and support and put our home on the map as a community that supports and cares for all.

Kellie Roberts

Chautauqua County Human Society executive director

also signed by CCHS staff and board members