Monday, July 26, 2010

The impact of an animal shelter on our community.

~ by Lawrence Johnston, DVM

Many of the benefits to a community of an attractive, centralized and well operated animal shelter would be very difficult if not impossible to measure. However, they are none the less real.

A shelter would sell houses.
Among the many variables to consider when relocating to a new community is, "How nice is the neighborhood?” People like to be surrounded by and associated with compassionate and caring people. The facility's existence alone would speak volumes about what our community stands for.


A shelter would bring new jobs and industry to Troy.
Twenty plus years of veterinary medicine has taught me that many a tough business leader has a huge soft spot for animals that they seldom show elsewhere. A community and its leaders working together for a selfless cause such as animal welfare would not be ignored. The Pike Animal Shelter will bring good publicity to Troy.

A shelter would attract students to Troy University.
The "feel good" factor alone will have an impact on prospective students, but the primary benefit will be the educational opportunities in science, marketing, public relations and teacher education.

A shelter will make us live longer.
The human health benefits of pet ownership are well documented and include lower blood pressure, less stress etc. A shelter will make it feasible for more people to find a pet and, alas, find a new home for those animals they "just can't keep.”

A shelter will improve the quality of our lives.
Simply put, helping animals makes people feel better about themselves and others who are doing likewise. We are often frustrated when our well intentioned individual efforts don't seem as productive as we would like. A shelter will make it easy for that individual to help that animal and feel better about themselves.


A shelter will improve the community itself.
The emotional health of individuals and the community can easily be assessed, maintained and even treated by individual and collective interaction with the strays and unwanted animals that community has produced. The willingness of a group to put forth their energy and resources towards these animals defines that community's character. The presence of a warm, sweet puppy will calm a traumatized child or adult, and caring for helpless animals could help young people in trouble find their way.

Let's build this shelter. It's the right thing to do!

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