Vinton Dog Warden discusses the dog problem

“We want to do what’s best for the dogs, but we also want to do what’s best for our county too,” Commissioner Mark Fout said during Tuesday’s meeting.

Dog Warden Bill Cox said the county’s animal shelter has 14 dogs – but capacity for only 13 animals. Two dogs share the same cage. For the most part, except when it comes to aggressive dogs, the dog shelter is a no-kill facility.

Cox said he has been calling counties across Southeast Ohio to find space for these dogs, but no one has space to accept additional animals.

“They will just tell you straight up – we’re full right now,” Cox said.

Later Cox said, “I’ve heard that these counties are getting so full that they’re having to put them (dogs) down.” He said it costs $100-150 to euthanize an animal – a task the law says needs a veterinarian to do.

To make matters worse, Cox spoke of a dog problem near Hamden by SR 160 and SR 324. He said there is a trio of hound-mix dogs running loose in that area that will be hard to capture and even harder to adopt out. Commission approved the purchase of a dog cage/trap with a price tag of at least $339.

Assistant Dog Warden Michael Klein added, “To be honest, those dogs are scared of everybody. I don’t know if two of them would be good for a home.”

Fout said, “I don’t know if you would be able to adopt those dogs out. I wish we could and I wish we could find somebody to take them because it’s not fair. Those dogs didn’t do anything.”

Fout said people who abandon and mistreat their dogs should receive a prison sentence.

“I tell you what they ought to do – they ought to give them 10 years in prison, a $10,000 fine and tie them to a tree with no water for about a week for every dog that is dumped. That would stop that crap. It should be a felony.”

Fout noted how the problem, that is not unique to Vinton County, has been made worse because of the nation’s poor economy.

“It’s feed your family or feed your dog. What do you do?” he said. “It’s a sad choice, but that’s what the world has come to.”

Fout spoke with contempt about how the federal government can bring millions of illegal immigrants into our country, but ignore the needs of US citizens.

“They can bring nine million immigrants across the border, then take them to Washington DC and spend $4.5 million dollars of hardworking American taxpayer money to feed and house them – can you tell me there isn’t something wrong with this country!?” he said. “I don’t like it. I don’t think very many good, hardworking Americans do like it. They are going to flood our country and put us out.”

Another issue, Klein said he is considering changing jobs because he can make more money at Dollar General than as assistant dog warden, so he asked the commission for $2 raise to bring him up to $15 so he could afford to continue to serve the county. Klein said sometimes the dog wardens get called out at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning – “you get calls from the police department or the sheriff’s department all hours of the day and night.”

“Thirteen dollars an hour is really just not enough,” he said. “If I can get a couple more dollars an hour, I definitely would stay. I don’t want to leave because I like the work, but $13 is not enough for me to be able to live on.”

Klein said if he didn’t get a raise, he’d be willing to help out when he could.

Fout said, “It’s tough in this world. You got to make choices and some of them are not good choices.”

Cox said, “I know everyone wants the dog problem solved in Vinton County. We’ve really been busting our butt.”

Fout interjected, “It’s impossible – you can’t get rid of the dogs.”

Vinton-Jackson Courier Editor Miles Layton may be reached at mlayton@vintonjacksoncourier.com