Upper Nazareth, Nazareth Borough reject animal shelter agreement

FROM THE EXPRESS TIMES

Upper Nazareth Township supervisors agreed Wednesday night not to renew their contract with the Center for Animal Health and Welfare to accept stray dogs and cats.

The township joins Nazareth in not renewing the annual deal. Wilson Borough and Easton are also considering severing ties with the Williams Township center.

Upper Nazareth Police Chief Alan Siegfried said the township has received minimal assistance from the shelter in recent months.

He said the shelter initially declined to accept two stray cats collected by police this past weekend. The shelter later picked up an injured cat after “long coaxing,” Siegfried said.

"We basically handled it ourselves," Siegfried said. "We're not getting the services we are supposed to be provided."

The chief said when two dogs were found Nov. 28, shelter workers said there was no room for one of the dogs and no veterinarian to care for the other, which was injured.

"That was not an appropriate response. They basically left us to handle this on our own," Siegfried said.

Representatives of The Center for Animal Health and Welfare could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday evening. Dan Roman, treasurer of the center's board of directors, previously said the center has lost money for the past two years and wants to break even this year.

Nancy Frey, an Upper Nazareth Township resident who operates the Pets In Need organization, took in one of the animals declined by the shelter. Supervisors agreed to pay her the $100 the shelter would have charged under the contract.

"I think we should do nothing. We should drop them," Chairman Mike Rinker said just prior to the vote.

Rinker said following the meeting the animals now would be housed in the township's own kennels and alternatives would be sought in caring for the pets.

The township would have paid $150 for each cat and dog it turned in to the center. It would pay $300 for each pit bull.

In Nazareth Borough, the contract would allow any resident with a Nazareth zip code on his or her driver's license to drop off the animals leaving the borough would then have to foot the bill.

At least four other municipalities use Nazareth's 18064 zip code, including Upper Nazareth, Lower Nazareth, Plainfield Township and Bushkill Township, borough officials said.

"This is a blatant way of getting the borough of Nazareth to pay for anybody who wants to take a cat or dog down there," council Vice President Larry Stoudt told the public during Monday's council meeting.

An alternative to Nazareth Borough's issue with the animals was not decided upon during Monday's meeting.

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/nazareth/index.ssf/2011/12/upper_nazareth_nazareth_boroug.html