Central animal shelter plan sparks debate

Adrienne Packer

Wednesday, April 19, 2000 | 11:10 a.m.

Whether a regional animal shelter is the most effective method to reunite pets and their owners is bound to be an ongoing heated debate between government officials and animal experts.

On Tuesday, the dogfight began.

Clark County's efforts to study the feasibility of one large, centralized shelter was quickly halted by a veterinarian who has worked closely with government agencies for nearly two decades.

Dr. Joseph Freer of the Dewey Veterinary Hospital convinced the commission to delay any decisions about a regional shelter for eight weeks. He said he plans to meet with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and other animal protection groups.

Freer said while a shelter shared by the county, Las Vegas and Boulder City might be more cost effective, stray dogs and cats would suffer.

"That time has passed; that's not what saves animals' lives," Freer said. "You don't build a bigger warehouse and expect to take care of the animals properly."

County officials, however, believe a regional animal shelter would be more convenient for residents because they would only have to visit one facility to find their lost pets.

"Right now you lose your dog and you have four stops -- Las Vegas, Henderson, (the county's shelter) and Boulder City," said Joseph Boteilho, Clark County's animal control manager.

Freer, whose arguments were backed by the SPCA, said satellite shelters would be easier for residents and better for pets. Animals that are picked up in certain neighborhoods stay in that vicinity, he said.

But Boteilho said shelters scattered throughout the valley might be more successful with adoptions because residents would not have to drive far to find a pet, but they do not work well as shelters.

"If you are truly looking for your pet, a regional center would be a simpler process," he said. "We'd like to all be on the same page."

Clark County Commissioner Erin Kenny suggested that Freer was fighting the regional shelter proposal because he feared his Dewey Animal Shelter would lose its $1.1 million contract that expires in five years.

"When we complain long and hard enough, that's when we hear from you," Kenny said.

Freer said he has been an active veterinarian in the county for about 15 years. When he began working with the shelters, the number of animals euthanized would quadruple every time the human population doubled in the Las Vegas Valley.

He urged the county to implement spaying and neutering programs. Since then, he said, the human population has tripled and the number of strays taken to shelters has only increased by 20 percent.