HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0364.001 2020-2022 i
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PO Box 827
Pepe'ekeo, Hi 97883
September 7, 2021
To; Members of the Hawaii County Council
Subject: Animal Control Hearing Today
Aloha kakou:
I'm unable to be there today to testify before your committee and ask'.. ,
instead you to accept this hastily "testimony".
Over the past year we've had 5-6 cats and dogs either dropped off in our
neighborhood or have found their way here. Incredibly my neighbors
and I have succeeded in finding responsible folks who've taken them in,
including us with 2 lost and frail dogs in a row, my neighbor across
from us who just took in a bony young pup who looked like a survivor
from the infamous Auschwitz death camp, and my neighbor below
who's taken in over 5-6 cats. We did this as an alternative to ignoring
their unspoken pleas for food and water, offering them that but keeping
them away from our homes and animals, or putting them out of their
suffering — none of which we wanted to do. Previously for YEARS we
could call our local humane society to retrieve, treat their conditions, and
hopefully get them adopted by responsible home owners who wanted a
dog or a cat. Why this suddenly stopped is unknown to anyone I've
talked with but the upshot of the new policy is to effectively ignore
rescuing stray animals and instead direct us to a web site to report them
found or determine if they're chipped so —presumably- their owners can
come retrieve them. I've done the chip routine thru my local vet' and
contacted them only to have the calls go unanswered possibly because
they were the ones who dropped them off here!
Comm. No.
Ref. o® _
Ref. Date SE - 8 2021
We URGENTLY need staffed shelters and more right away that are
exactly like the existing ones we already have in Kea'au, Waimea, and
Kailua, and need organizations like the Humane Society to staff and
operate them if we're going to remain consistent with our values as a
community in Hawaii ne. To do otherwise is to continue kicking the can
down the road and dithering while stray animals are suffering and
community- minded neighbors like ours fashion ad hoc temporary
solutions to what is rightly a county problem not unlike the homeless
situation here.
I would happy to work with Council members and/or their staff to assist
them in finding space for shelters around the island as well find or
CREATE and vet organizations that could operate them.
Thank you for accepting and considering my remarks.
Malama pono,
Bob Williams
964-57641238-8498
<bobwilliams63 a@msn.com>