Featured image: HSIC Shelter Director Megan Trail in a screenshot from a video produced for the Land Rover Defender Above and Beyond Service Awards
The Humane Society of Independence County (HSIC) will soon have a new tool to help area dogs and cats in need thanks to winning an online competition.
Land Rover announced last week the humane society will be the recipient of a new Land Rover Defender after voters nationwide chose a video HSIC produced that touted the organization’s need for such a vehicle.
Shelters and other humane societies participated in the Land Rover Defender Above and Beyond Service Awards which were held for the first time this year. In a media release, Land Rover said the awards honor “…the legacy of the Land Rover Defender supporting humanitarian agencies across the world.” Six other charitable organizations from across the United States are also recipients of the awards and will receive Defender SUVs.
Scott Lancaster, an HSIC board member, told White River Now’s Gary Bridgman that the shelter will put the vehicle to good use throughout the county, particularly in areas with rugged terrain.
Lancaster said the society would not have achieved the honor without the votes and support of those throughout the Independence County region.
The SUV will also be put to use in helping dogs and cats that have been dumped and abandoned in parts of the county — a problem that Lancaster said has to be addressed.
“We’re getting more and more calls and instances of people dumping dogs and cats,” said Lancaster. “Just taking puppies and dumping them out in some area where they don’t have any food, any water, any shelter — just abandoning them.”
Lancaster told Bridgman the shelter is rescuing the animals when alerted to such situations, but taking in more dogs and cats puts more stress on an already-stressed system. He said the shelter is in contact with area law enforcement to help curb the practice.
“I have met with the sheriff. I have met with the prosecuting attorney. And they are in agreement that they’re going to aggressively investigate, arrest, and prosecute these folks.”
Lancaster noted HSIC offers other choices rather than dumping cats and dogs. The shelter can assist with food while placing the animal in a foster program or a home, and HSIC encourages pet owners to participate in a spay/neuter program from the get-go.
“I wish folks would work with us on the alternatives,” he said. “When you look at the minimal cost of a spay and neuter, particularly with the assistance programs that we offer at the shelter, as compared to what the fines are going to be when we prosecute those folks, there’s no comparison.
“One of the things a lot of folks don’t understand is you go out and dump a litter of dogs, cats, puppies, kittens — each one of those constitutes a separate offense. So, if you dump five of them, it’s five offenses — each one of which is punishable by up to a year in jail and a $1,000 fine.”
To learn more about the Humane Society of Independence County, visit their website by clicking here. The HSIC relies entirely on donations and receives no funding from the city, county, or state.
Listen to Lancaster’s conversation with Gary Bridgman below, and scroll further down to watch the HSIC video that helped win the shelter a Land Rover Defender.
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