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MONDAY, MARCH 27, 1967THE DAIIA INTELLIGENCER'’AGE 3What If 1SPCA Saves The Day!By Florence Schaffhausen Intelligencer Staff WriterWhat would happen if 10.000dogs and cats, kittens and pupaies were turned loose on theHighways and by ways of Bucks County?This is the tab in unwantedmd stray animals picked upmd cared for annually by theour-member staff of the BucksCounty Society for the Preven-ion of Cruelty to Animals. (SPCA), aided by a handful of di* •ectors.‘‘Very few people realize the nagnitude of the job thrust ipon us and how inadequateStray Cats And Dogs Roamed Bucks County?are our resources, said Mrs. Doris L. Rutledge, newly elect ed director, in a recent interview.“Somehow we must get through to people with the idea that it is cruel and irresponsible to allow dogs and cats to breed, if they are not prepared to carefor the offspring.“We are simply not prepared to handle a situation where parents feel it is a rich emotional experience for their children to allow a pet to breed, and then hand the whole thing over to us — mother and offspring. Even with our new shelter addition, we will have no facilitiesfor stieh care.”Mrs. Reuben, joined by fel low director Mrs. J.D, Irwin, conducted a tour of the partial ly - completed shelter addition, and exolained how the new fa cility may help the .staff to cope with some of its more pressing problems.“My own ambition is to have enough money, enough space, and enough volunteers to give individual attention to every animal that comes to the shelter,’’ Mrs, Irwin declared.“Not all animals are adop table, to be sure If a dog isold. it may be hard for him to adjust to a new home unless he goes to exactly the right per son. Or he may have been injured, sick, or shown himself to have a bad disposition, thedirector continued. “But the sad thing is, that of the many dogs that are adoptable. we are find itig homes for only about onethird, because we do not have the facilities to find and hold homes for them.“Newspaper ads are helping and the new shelter will help, but our big appeal must be to pet owners not to permit their|v£’.y: [■* * •NEW SHELTER—Addition to the animal shelter in Lahaska operated by the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, scheduled for completion in June, designed to provide temporary housing for 10,000 unwanted or strayed animals annually cared for by the society. The new building will include holding pens, feeding and treatment rooms, office space. A second phase will have cages to display cats, pups and kittens.pets to breed if they are not pre pared to care for them.As Shelter Manager John Scheldt and the two directors led the way to the new area of the shelter, a family group including two children arrived to survey the animals and choosea pet.I always like to see the older dog get a break, Mrs. Irwin said.I wish people knew more about the animals we have. Look at this young male Col lie, this quiet Brindle. or that 2-year old Border Collie, a good watch dog and gentle with chi! dren.Cresendo. a pale beige eight-year old German Shepherd watched quietly as the group moved past his cage, a two-year old brown and white pointer barked casually as the Beae left the adjacent cage to Jn.i his new family.Entering the new addition to the shelter from the older build ing. the group entered a room which will he comprised of 16 holding pens: each one designed to hold a grown dog or many puppies or kittens in isolation until the staff can be sure they are well enoigh for adoption.The holding period. Sheidt ex plained, can range from hours to two weeks, depending on the innoculation status of the ani mal, his age, and other factors.Also included in the new build ing is a food preparation and treatment room, offices, and a building in which puppies, cats and kittens will he displayed.The completion date for the first part of the new building has been set for June, but the time schedule for using the second part of the building is uncertain, because no funds are available for s equipment.A special feature of the pup py-cat-and kitten room is aREFUGE—John Scheidt, manager of the Bucks County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, introduces Laddie, a young black and white male Collie to Casie, a part-German Shepherd pup. held in the lap of Mrs. Doris L. Rutledge, newly elected director of the SPCA. The two dogs are among several score available at the shelter in Lahaska. (Staff Photos by Rudy Millarg)square area vliich someday hopefully will camain a tree, shelves of various neights, a dirt area and other mcnities to delight a cat.“Truly I do not think people understand our place in the community and the services we perform, ncr that we are not a subsidiary of any other SPCA. Director Irwin commented. Except for an annual stipend of $1,000 from the rounty commissioners, we dependentirely up on individual dona tions and bequests. We get no funds from the United Fund.Mrs. Rutledge, executive director of the Big Brothers ofBucks County , comes to the SP CA Board with a distinguished background in animal welfare.A native of England, she worked wnth the Massachu-settes’ SPCA and later served on the board of the Animal Rescue League of Boston. After World War II, while in Rome with the United Nations, she helped organize a committee to found the first animal welfare organization ever established in that city.
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Doylestown Daily Intelligencer
Doylestown, Pennsylvania, US
Mon, Mar 27, 1967
Page 3
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USA 03 Aug 2020
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