Euthanasia declining

Local shelter: Animal owners more responsible with spaying, neutering

Bulloch County Animal Shelter manager Wendy Ivey, left, and shelter attendant Danielle Mercer apply ointment to the eyes of kittens to stave off infections and endure their adoptability. The shelter currently has almost 150 animals available for adoption. While the law requires the shelter to keep animals only fourteen days before euthanizing them, Ivey says she keeps them as long as she has the space, with one animal having been at the shelter since February of this year.

W ANIMAL SHELTER 01 — Bulloch County Animal Shelter manager Wendy Ivey, left, and shelter attendant Danielle Mercer apply ointment to the eyes of kittens to stave off infections and endure their adoptability. The shelter currently has almost 150 animals available for adoption. While the law requires the shelter to keep animals only fourteen days before euthanizing them, Ivey says she keeps them as long as she has the space, with one animal having been at the shelter since February of this year.

Following a national trend, the Statesboro-Bulloch County Animal Shelter has seen a significant reduction in the number of cats and dogs being euthanized. Bulloch County Animal Shelter Manager Wendy Ivey said since 2008, the shelter has had to euthanize 25 percent fewer animals. He credits the lower numbers to spay and neuter clinics and more responsible owners.