Christ Yoder
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When Ruth Thompson accepts animals into her shelter without killing, it’s usually because they are stray, abandoned, or recovered from an animal cruelty case.
But every now and then Thompson, who runs the ANNA shelter at 1555 E. 10th St., will be contacted by a commercial breeder who for some reason wants to abandon his animals.
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It happened again on New Years Day, when Thompson and his team collected 16 purebred English pointers, all of which were handed over by a sportsman who had bred the dogs for hunting competitions. Man withdraws from competitions.
The dogs – eight males and eight females aged 3 to 7 – were not the product of a puppy mill, but were instead raised in a clean and safe kennel, Thompson said.
The 16 dogs were then sterilized and sterilized and received a certificate of good health from the veterinarian of ANNA Shelter Windell Lyon.
Eight of the dogs are ready to adopt. The other eight will be ready for adoption on Monday.
Lyon said he grew up with English pointers. The American Kennel Club notes that a large male can be 28 inches at the withers and weigh up to 75 pounds, while a small female can weigh 45 pounds or more and stand 23 inches tall.
“They are very energetic dogs that were bred to hunt,” said Lyon. “They don’t want to sit around watching TV, they want to be out there running around and chasing birds. But they’re very loyal. Once they have an owner, you have a dog for your life.”
Lyon said short-haired dogs are also easy to care for and groom.
He added that most of the 16 dogs at the shelter are already domestic.
Thompson said the ANNA Shelter receives dogs from commercial breeders a few times a year.
“I’m not saying people who breed dogs for competition are wrong. They’re just different from me. Not everyone sleeps with their dogs like me,” said Thompson.
“If this (athlete) had beaten the dogs, starved the dogs, or kept them in misery, of course I would think badly of him. But he wasn’t.”
Karel Minor, CEO of Humane Pennsylvania, the region’s largest partnership of animal welfare organizations, said receiving commercially-bred dogs remains a “difficult problem” for many shelters.
“It’s not something animal shelters like to do,” he said. “It feels like we are facilitating poor breeding by accommodating these animals.”
He added, “But we know that good breeders are about maintaining breeds and giving people the dogs they want. And we know it’s certainly best if these dogs come to a shelter where they might have. be a second chance as opposed to just being shot.
Thompson said the ANNA Shelter only accepts returned animals when space permits.
The athlete did not make a monetary donation to the shelter, she added.
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“I try not to say ‘oh, poor me’ because that’s why we’re doing this,” she said. “It’s a lifestyle, not a job. We just don’t know what’s going to happen and luckily I’ve been fortunate enough to find some pretty crazy people like me who are willing to do this sort of thing. . ”
How to adopt
Those interested in adopting one or more English Pointers, or any animal from the shelter, can visit the ANNA shelter website at theannashelter.com or call 814-451-0230.
The public can also visit the refuge at 1555 E. 10th St.
Potential adopters must be at least 21 years old.
Adoptable animals include dogs, cats, horses, and hamsters.
ANNA, or Association for Needy and Neglected Animals, is a non-profit, no-kill, open-admission animal welfare organization founded by Thompson in 2004, according to the shelter’s website.
AJ Rao can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter @ETNRao.
