June 2008

Arkansas Mayor Releases Dogs Into Forest

Paws Down!

To Arkansas Mayor James Valley for authorizing the release of shelter dogs into a national forest.

The Mayor of Helena-West Helena, AR, reportedly ordered 10 dogs to be set loose into the St. Francis National Forest after he received several complaints about the city’s ability to care for the dogs.  Although St. Francis may be the saint of animals, the dogs were imaginably unsafe in the national forest park and surrounding areas.  A search for the dogs revealed several killed by a private property owner and several more animals missing.

The Mayor has been highly criticized for his neglectful and illegal actions, and has since apologized for the incident.  According to a report on DogChannel.com, Mayor Valley now intends to raise funds for a new animal shelter and to increase animal law enforcement in the area—something NHES believes the Mayor should have done at the start, rather than ever setting the dogs free.

Mayor Valley may face federal charges, but if he ultimately keeps his public position, NHES hopes he will take the humane path towards caring for and protecting the animals of his city. 

Sources:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2008-06-13-ark-dogs_N.htm

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080628/ap_on_re_us/stray_dogs

http://www.dogchannel.com/dog-news/arkansas-mayor-releases-10-dogs-in-national-forest.aspx