Well, here’s a novel way to deal with over-crowded animal shelters. Just put the dogs out in the handy nearby national forest.
From the Helena (Arkansas) Daily World: Mayor James Valley of Helena-West Helena says he has no problem with dogs or other animals. He just believes that strays in his east Arkansas town are better off in nearby national forest than the local animal shelter.
The city’s animal shelter was so run down a regional humane society worker cut the locks last winter and released all the dogs, the mayor said. The city then moved the operation to a temporary fenced-in area outdoors at the city sanitation department.
Still, people complained that the animals were not properly cared for at the temporary quarters, so the mayor decided the dogs would be better off fending for themselves in the St. Francis National Forest.
Valley said the city street director released about 10 dogs into the forest Wednesday after the animals were fed and watered. About three dogs were kept to be put down by a veterinarian, he said.
“They are better off free,” the mayor said Thursday in a telephone interview …
Read the rest of the story at the Daily World website.