Editorial: Protecting the unwanted

Friday, Feb. 16, 2007 | 7:14 a.m.

In a tragic turn of events last week, the Lied Animal Shelter was forced to destroy 1,000 animals because crowded conditions had allowed the spread of highly contagious diseases.

According to a story by the Las Vegas Sun on Thursday, shelter workers routinely crowded dogs and cats into cages in an effort to save as many of them as possible.

Janie Greenspun Gale, chairwoman of the Animal Foundation, which runs the shelter, told Sun reporter Steve Kanigher that the crowding was part of "a misguided effort to save every animal."

The Animal Foundation has a joint agreement with Las Vegas and Clark County to run the shelter at 655 N. Mojave Road. Last week a Humane Society of the United States audit revealed the crowding problems and diseases. Lied workers destroyed 150 sick animals and 850 others that had been exposed to the sick animals.

The foundation has found homes for 90,000 animals since 1989. The current shelter opened in 2005 and was expanded almost immediately. Still, the number of animals brought in has continued to outpace adoptions, said Gale, a member of the Greenspun family, owners of the Las Vegas Sun. And the numbers are staggering: Lied found homes for only 12,646 of the 51,889 animals it accepted last year.

Lied shelter officials have suspended adoptions and spaying and neutering services while the shelter is thoroughly cleaned. When services resume, Lied will keep only the animals that are healthy or friendly enough to be adopted and destroy the others. These heartbreaking choices are in the best interests of the animals. But they are choices no one would have to make if humans didn't abandon or neglect these animals.

People who own pets should accept the commitment it requires and spay or neuter their animals. The foundation is calling for mandatory spay and neutering ordinances in Las Vegas, North Las Vegas and Clark County. That idea has merit and bears further consideration. No one should be faced with making the kinds of decisions that the Animal Foundation had to make .