Cr seeks pound euthanasia answers

More than 300 dogs and cats were destroyed at the council pound in March.

Jeremy Sollars

Poll

Should people have to get a licence to own pets?

This poll ended on 05 June 2011.

Yes

83%

No

12%

Not sure

3%

This is not a scientific poll. The results reflect only the opinions of those who chose to participate.

Related links

• 'False impression' of pound deaths
• Pound a one way trip for many pets
• Microchip your pets this weekend
• Pound puts down 220 cats, dogs
• Decrease in euthanised pets

GLENDA Mather will make another attempt to find out how much it costs ratepayers to fund the shocking scale of destruction at Rockhampton Animal Pound after her initial request for information was rejected.

Cr Mather was told the details could not be made public because the information might compromise future tender negotiations with the companies which destroy thousands of dogs and cats each year at the pound.

She was also told it would take too much time for officers to retrieve the information from records.

But the campaigning councillor has written to the chief executive with an official request for details of how much the council spent to destroy animals in February and March this year.

There has been a strong reaction from people outraged that more than 300 dogs and cats were put down in March – although officers claim it was an exceptional month.

Animal welfare groups have attacked the authority for not doing enough to find new homes for unwanted pets and strays.

But several councillors used a debate this week to blame society.

Cr Cherie Rutherford said it was disturbing to see what little regard people had for animals and Cr Graeme Brady said everywhere you went in Rockhampton wandering dogs were a problem.

The council has not revealed how much it costs to run the dilapidated pound, which Cr Tony Williams has described as woefully inadequate.

Construction of a replacement pound in Koongal is to start in February/March next year.

The project has a budget of $2.1 million for a modern facility with pens for 70 dogs – an increase of 20 over the existing pound.

Councillors were told the new building would be easier to clean and there would be less chance of animals catching diseases such as parvovirus.