Pet Overpopulation Will Only Worsen Without Your Involvement
By Lana Crow

There just isn't a day anymore that passes that I don't receive calls in need.  Most of them are from people in rural areas in Hill County that have had one or more dogs dumped at their house or property.  In one day alone, the calls totaled 37 dogs! This is becoming overwhelming to me.  The pet overpopulation in Hill County is at an all time high and getting worse.  With the combination of irresponsible pet owners and the absence of a county animal shelter, there is no place to take these unwanted “strays”.  This results in the dumping of puppies and dogs in rural areas which fuels our county’s pet overpopulation issue—worsening the existing health, economic, legal and safety liabilities.  The "dumper" simply makes his problem someone else's problem.  The question I can’t seem to answer after hours of thinking about it is, what kind of person can take a litter of puppies that are barely weaned and drop them off on a country road and really expect them to survive?  This question burns in my head daily and I will truly never understand it. Even if the person tries to explain it to me, I will never waiver because they are taking the cowards why out and not accepting responsibility that they are the source of the problem we have in Hill County.  I can't stress enough to the "dumper" that until this stops and people get their pets spayed and neutered and everyone pitches in and helps Hill County Paw Pals raise more money to get this county animal shelter built, the problem is only going to get worse.  Please, help us stop this neglect and abuse and do everything you can to make a change for Hill County.  I am proud of this county and it is my home and I would not want to live any where else, but I think we all can do a better job of caring and taking responsibility.  It is up to all of us and the time has come to make a change and we can do it with everyone pitching in.  We need this animal shelter desperately and we can make the hard work we have all done over the past 3 years a reality, but it will take everyone to make it happen.  Please, help us in our endeavors of raising this money to go towards this much needed shelter for Hill County.  I do believe we will see a big difference in the numbers of dumped and unwanted dogs if there is a place to be able to take unwanted dogs, instead of dumping them like unwanted trash in the country.  My message to the people that takes that poor little dog or cat to the lonely road and lets it out is, what kind of person have you become and don't you think it is time to stop and give these animals a better chance at life.  It is up to all of us to make a change and we can do it if we all take part in getting this shelter built.  Without this shelter, our pet overpopulation issue will only continue to spiral out of control and we all want more than that for our county, don't we?  This is our home and we need to make it better for everyone.  We can do it, let’s start today.  If you want to become involved, contact Hill County Paw Pals by calling (254) 580-0679; email: hcpawpals@yahoo.com.  Donations towards the building fund can be administered at the website or by mail to Paw Pals, P.O. Box 1533, Hillsboro, Texas 76645.

Thank you, Lana Crow