" "Army Town Struggles to Save Abandoned Pets"

[GreenPartyVoter]

HINESVILLE, Ga. (AP) - The 32 dogs look up with sad eyes or wag their tails as animal control officer Linda Cordry walks the row of chain-link cages toward a door concealing a gas chamber. "These guys are mine," Cordry says with weary resignation. "These are basically on Death Row."

Liberty County Animal Control and the humane shelter that shares its small cinderblock building have been crammed to capacity with dogs and cats since Army troops from neighboring Fort Stewart deployed to Iraq. Both agencies say it's no coincidence.

"I would say 95 percent of these animals come from military homes," says Beate Hall, who runs the humane shelter where dozens of soldiers and Army spouses began dumping pets during the holidays.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have prompted national efforts to alert deploying soldiers to alternatives to abandoning animals when they leave for war. But the hundreds of unwanted pets turning up in this southeast Georgia military town indicate many aren't getting the message.

http://apnews1.iwon.com/article/20050412/D89DT64G0.html

[Modem Butterfly]

1. At the risk of being called a heartless bitch....

These people had plenty of warning they might be deployed. They should have been working on finding homes from the start, or not adopted pets they couldn't take care of from the beginning.

That being said, my partner and I live in Georgia, so we're heading to Hinesville on Saturday.

[GreenPartyVoter]

2. Spread the word to anyone else in the area who might be open to

saving those pets.

[RubyDuby in GA]

3. Please let me know of the situation down there

My one and only doggie could use a playmate.

[sbj405]

4. Agree. I did rescue in Norfolk. Same deal.

And as a veteran, I would like to see the military step up and encourage responsible pet ownership to avoid this situation.

[miss_kitty]

6. Well done, you

I hope more people will head out to Hinesville and give these former pets another chance.

[Wcross]

7. Thank you Modem Butterfly.....

I agree with your thoughts, if you aren't sure you will be able to have a pet cared for you ought not to have one.
I wish I could save another animal from death but I have eight already. Please save one or two if you are able.

Thanks!

[Solly Mack]

5. At one point, my home held 9 different animals from military

who just left their animals behind...

We had dogs, cats, birds, hamsters,fish, guinea pigs, tarantulas, snakes...a little of this, a little of that...

families would move to a new post and just leave their animals behind..."if you don't take it I'm just going to set it free" (one woman said of her guinea pig)

a soldier would deploy and the spouse would "forget to bring the dog in and (oops), it's gone" (claimed one neighbor)

but it wasn't gone, a lot of the time I finally brought the animal in, gave it food and shelter, then worked finding it a new home...

(this was after repeated efforts to get the animal back to it's original home)..."oh, that's not my dog" (liar)

The military doesn't do enough to punish...and they should be punished...those who abandon their pets.

Fort Benning was the worst for doing this of all the CONUS posts I've lived on...also in Georgia. Fort Riley in Kansas is also pretty bad about soldiers leaving their pets behind...