Letter to the Editor: Humane Society says owners of abandoned foxhound Oscar should’ve called them

Oscar, a foxhound, was found abandoned with a note taped to his fur by a parks employee and taken to the Hurricane City Animal Shelter, Hurricane, Utah, Dec. 16, 2019 | Photo courtesy of Ken Thompson, St. George News

OPINION —I was disheartened to read the story about Oscar, the foxhound, who was abandoned at Grandpa’s Pond in Hurricane with a note duct-taped to his fur. It is illegal to abandon an animal in the state of Utah, and I wanted to clarify appropriate options.

As the advocacy director for the Humane Society of Utah, I take calls from concerned citizens all over our state. Their concerns range from everyday neglect (e.g., a dog left in freezing temperatures overnight without shelter) to more insidious cruelty that I cannot repeat here. Often, callers ask me what I can do to help an animal in their community.

In the case of Oscar, what he needed was a family with the necessary resources to keep him or to responsibly rehome him. At the Humane Society of Utah, we use a Coordinated Entry System to ensure that people with pets who are experiencing a resource or housing crisis are quickly identified, assessed, referred and connected to available resources. Usually, the support needed is advice on how to properly rehome a pet. If a pet owner feels that they cannot provide the necessary care for their pet, we are happy to discuss their options in an honest and compassionate discussion.

A note to the person who abandoned Oscar: Abandonment of an animal is a crime, and it is a crime for a reason. Next time, instead of leaving your frightened, unvaccinated pet tied to a fence where he could fall victim to cruelty or cause a public health crisis, give us a call or call one of the other dozens of shelters and rescues in the state. We are here to help.

Submitted by RACHEL HEATLEY, Advocacy Director, Humane Society of Utah.

Letters to the Editor are not the product of St. George News, its editors, staff or news contributors. The matters stated and opinions given are the responsibility of the person submitting them. They do not reflect the product or opinion of St. George News and are given only light edit for technical style and formatting.

Free News Delivery by Email

Would you like to have the day's news stories delivered right to your inbox every evening? Enter your email below to start!