Get ready for more stray dogs and cats roaming our streets in Lake Worth and elsewhere?

In what may have unintended consequences for city's like Lake Worth the county's animal shelter is changing the rules for dropping off unwanted animals. We all can hope that people turned away from the shelter will take the animal back home for a "two-week waiting" period or, just as likely, the animal will be dropped off in a neighborhood somewhere and become a problem for someone else.

Andy Reid at the Sun Sentinel has this article that, unless I missed it, hasn't been news publicized anywhere else. If it has been reported send me an email which you'll find in the right-hand column of this blog and will provide a link to that information for my readers. Here is an excerpt from the Sun Sentinel article:

     Palm Beach County's animal shelter is making it harder for people to give up their pets, in a new move aimed at saving more unwanted dogs and cats.
     People trying to get rid of their pets may now face a two-week waiting period before the crowded shelter will take them. [emphasis added]
     The goal is to get people to reconsider unloading their pets at the shelter, or find an alternative home where they wouldn't face the risk of being euthanized.
     "There are times when giving up your pet is a rash decision," said Dianne Sauve, the county's director of animal care and control. "Oftentimes, (people) may solve the problem on their own. ... Sometimes it's just giving people the resources that they need."

[and. . .]

     Shelter space constraints limit how long dogs and cats can be held awaiting adoption before they are at risk of being euthanized. The shelter last year euthanized nearly 1,300 dogs and about 4,200 cats, according to the county.

If you're interested you can read about what feral and stray cats are doing to the native bird species here in Florida. Cats should be kept indoors or on a leash if taken outside.