Humane Society asks for help

Jay County’s animal shelters could be getting some help from the county to aid in animal welfare efforts.
Jay County Humane Society representatives Darrell Upp and Rita Lutes talked with the Jay County Commissioners this morning about two topics, utilizing the animal barns at the Jay County Retirement Center as a temporary site  for large animal rescues and also about local regulations that could aid in keeping shelter populations down.
Upp and Lutes asked about the possibility of using the animal barns to keep large animals — horses, mostly — at the retirement center while they are being rehabilitated. The humane society occasionally rescues horses that are underfed or otherwise in poor health and looks for  new owners to care for those animals.
Upp said the shelter has rescued about 15 horses in the past couple years.
“I don’t have a problem with housing a horse out there for a week or two,” said commissioner Milo Miller Jr., but said the board would need to check with retirement center director Rob Smith.
Attorney Lon Racster had concerns about liability, wanting to know if the humane society would have coverage for anyone caring for the animals at the county site.
“My concern is if someone gets hurt out at the county home,” he said.
Lutes said she would have to check the shelter’s policy and that she could get back to the commissioners with that information.
Miller also asked if the animals might bring diseases into the barn that could affect other livestock kept at the county home.
Upp said that the issue was still being looked into, but that most rescue cases are due to malnourishment.
“Usually they’re starvation issues,” Upp said.
The commissioners contacted Smith, who said he would be available next Monday to meet with the humane society and the commissioners.
On the second matter, Upp also asked if the county would be willing to work to craft regulations that could aid in keeping the pet population down.
Upp noted that, due to foster care efforts and pushes for adoptions over the last two years, euthanizations have been nearly eliminated. But the humane society and county animal shelter are continually full and always receiving new animals.
“We are full and past being full,” Lutes said of the animal shelter.
Upp offered some suggestions including spay/neuter efforts or fines for repeat offenders, notably “puppy mills” who drop off or dump animals.
The commissioners were open to discussing some ideas if shelter representatives could formulate a couple concrete ideas, although commissioner Jim Zimmerman quickly quashed the idea of compulsory sterilization.
“I’m not in favor of me telling you you have to spay or neuter your pet,” he said.
Upp and Lutes said they could work to get some ideas together, but that any ordinances would just be a way to add some “teeth” to control efforts as a last resort.
“We want to work with (owners) first,” she said. “We don’t want the animals. We want them to take care of them.”
Miller encouraged them to work on their suggestions then return at a latertime to discuss the options.
“Get a committee together and put some of that stuff together,” he said.
In other business this morning, the commissioners:
•Heard a request from Jay County Planning Commissioner member and Knox Township resident Paula Confer about possibly adding zoning rules that would help to control small-scale confined feeding operations not regulated by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
Confer asked that the commissioners request the planning commission consider rules that would require a certain amount of land to apply manure to or proof that the operator has an agreement to apply manure elsewhere.
Zimmerman, who also sits on the planning commission, said that board doesn’t have authority to regulate manure, but Racster said he believed that the planning commission could set land requirements for confined feeding operations.
The commissioners took the request under advisement.
•Appointed Jane Ann Runyon to the John Jay Center for Learning board of trustees.[[In-content Ad]]