Hello! This is a great place to discuss issues with your pets. I would like to start off by reminding everyone that cold winter weather is now here, so PLEASE care for your out-door animals with tremendous consideration.

Inexpensive fencing can be purchased to create an area for your outdoor dog to run rather than to be tied or chained to a dog house their whole lives.

Place straw for bedding in their houses rather than blankets, which can retain moisture and freeze. Purchase electric watering bowls which will keep their water from freezing. Extra food portions are necessary during the winter because when animals get cold they burn more calories to stay warm.

Protect their houses from harsh winds and blowing snow drifts with tarps or bales of straw as insulation.

Just because an animal has a fur coat, do not assume they are comfortable in freezing weather. Shorter hair dogs may not have an undercoat to keep them warm in below freezing temperatures. Check with your veterinarian to be sure your animal can survive life outdoors in harsh Pennsylvania weather.

A pet carrier is NOT proper housing for an outdoor dog. The law requires that they have a house which will preserve their body heat.

Of course the ideal situation is to bring your animals indoors, but when that is not possible, then do your best to make them comfortable.

If someone you know is not properly caring for their pets, please report them to your local humane society or police department.

Ever tried reporting someone to the humane society? What a joke! People...and I use the term loosely....had a mixed breed puppy tied in front of their home on a 3 foot piece of rope, no access to water or shade. The poor animal whined and cried all day and night long for 3 days. I spent a day observing to see how much attention it received....ZERO! I snuck over and gave it some dog food and it devoured it. I called the humane society and told them the situation....my answer from them, "Don't feed the animal", because when they got there they would need to see that the dog was malnurished. Then of course they said it would be a few days until they could get there. SO much for humane. Short side of the story, I called twice more to report them, but never saw anyone come to investigate, the puppy disappered from the yard and I never saw it again.

Your story is very similar to many others I've heard about CCHS. No one seems to point a finger at them for their lack of response to emergency calls, meanwhile the animals suffer while waiting for them to help. They are the only agency in Meadville purposed to help these animals, so if they don't do it, no one will. Even the police department tells you to call CCHS if you report an animal abuse to them. As a community what can we do about it?

For all the huge money they make at cchs you would think they would be perfect! They have a huge staff there ,too. Right! Go volunteer!!!!!!!
Just got a pup there and found the people to be warm and caring! Kennels were clean!

John M:
In fact they do take in huge amounts of money there; to the tune of three or more hundred thousand dollars a year, including the thrift store income, government and private donations, fees charged to adopt an animal or retained neutering deposits. This is not theroy, it's fact. As a non-profit, their tax documents are available to the public at no cost. Anyone can write to the IRS and request them for FREE. See for yourself. And you can't volunteer to go out and rescue neglected/abused animals. This has to be done by a badge-wearer, be it a humane officer or a police-person. If it's NOT being done by one wearing a badge, then no one does it legally, which was the point of the conversation between "Just a Little Nuts" and myself.

Have you hugged your cat today???

Voice -- I had no idea that their budget was that large, but I guess considering utilities and food, etc, for the animals as well as salaries, its really not that surprising. Our dog is from the CCHS. I think they do a good job for our area. I like to check the photos on their website.

Um - the guy that runs the Humane Society. Isn't that the same guy who is now one of the ones running Connaut Lake Park?

Is there a management style problem here?

Please don't anyone get me wrong, and maybe my gripe is with the wrong people, but when someone is told it is illegal for me to try to help a defenseless animal...that's just goofy!! I truly believe in and support the humane society, without it I wouldn't have the great cat that I do. What should we do about it? Well, I think that's a much deeper question than just animal cruelty in our society...so let's not go there now.

Just a Little:
We SHOULD 'go there' now. It's winter once again, and so many people do not take proper care of their precious pets. Who will help them if people don't get involved, or are afraid to become vocal enough to get something done by the people who are SUPPOSED to help? While it's true the CCHS has a purpose to help the animals in the shelter, it's the ones that haven't been surrendered by their abusive owners that are of great concern as well.
Kudos to you and Amidala for adopting from the shelter. This can never be a bad thing. The shelter animals continue to need our support and care.

A new posting from The Meadville Tribune...
the moderation has been lifted. Please remember to keep it clean, keep it legal and be respectful of others as you use this forum.
Thanks for your patience.

Thanks Tribune!

Sounds like my letter did what it was intended to do! People need to help in any way possible!If people would staff the shelter maybe the "officer" could be on the streets more!
Our little guy Chester was picked up by CCHS in a box with his brothers!

In regard to the money, I have no idea what it costs to run a shelter! Do you?

RE: Lifefeedsonlife

You hit the nail on the head! The guy you are speaking of is Leroy Stearns...aka City Councilman...aka Conneaut Lake Parks Mr. "No Comment"...aka the head of CCHS. I have been questioning this guys credentials and ability to "effectively" manage anything for many many months now. Up until now most, if not all of my comments/questions on Mr. Stearns have been censored by the tribunes so called moderators when I have posted comments to articles. I am thrilled that they finally caught up with the times and allowed our community to have an open forum to discuss local issues as well as anything else that may be on our minds. Thank you Meadville Tribune.

It would seem this is a matter for the local police departments the humane officers and district attorney to prosecute the offenders. Were the offenders of Chester and his brothers that were found in a box prosecuted?