Ellington

In 1855, Missouri Sen. George Graham Vest said, “The one absolutely unselfish friend that humans can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts them, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is their dog.”

Today, widespread problems of abandoned or abused pets, overflowing animal shelters and steady euthanasia rates indicate it is man who often deserts his four-legged friends.

“It seems to be a never-ending problem,” said Sara DeBerry, secretary of Catoosa Citizens for Animal Care.

CCAC was formed in 1993 as an ad hoc group that successfully worked to replace the county’s animal shelter,

The nonprofit organization now is devoted to educating the public about responsible pet ownership, DeBerry said.

“Responsible is a huge word,” she said. “People need to realize that a pet’s life is in their hands.”

The group’s focus is threefold: educate the public about humane treatment of animals, help support spay/neuter programs and network with other animal advocacy groups.

CCAC has no kennels and does not operate a shelter of its own. It does provide a 24-hour Help Line, (706) 937-2287, as well as a Web site, to offer information, resources and referrals about animal care. The group also helps arrange rescue or foster care for abandoned pets.

“We usually get more calls from people asking for help than offering to help us,” DeBerry said.

Tracey Peck, of Ringgold, is one caller whose offer to help brought Brownie, a three-legged Boxer/Labrador/hound mixed-breed into her home.

The missing leg was amputated after someone shot Brownie as he ran loose. The dog’s owner decided to give up her dog “because she couldn’t afford a fence and hated seeing him chained up all the time.”

Though she already had two dogs, three cats, two new litters of kittens and three children of her own, Peck has no regrets about providing a safe home for Brownie.

“Years ago I worked at PetSmart and was aware of the need for foster homes,” she said. “With me staying at home with the kids and going to college online, this seemed like the perfect time to volunteer.”

Cruelty to animals is a crime, but tough laws accompanied by vigorous prosecution do not guarantee pets protection from abuse or mistreatment.

Nothing is more important to the CCAC’s ongoing mission than convincing the public that the front line in combating overpopulation is having pets either spayed or neutered.

Altered pets means fewer births which mean fewer abandoned babies, and an altered pet that is abandoned is a better candidate for adoption.

This is because neutering shows someone once cared for the animal and it also saves the expense of spay/neuter surgery required before pets can be adopted.

CCAC works with Wally’s Friends, a low-cost spay/neuter clinic in Red Bank, Tenn., and helps defray the cost of such surgeries at local veterinary offices for those otherwise unable to afford the surgery.

Members of the group agree more members and donations are needed if CCAC is to grow and better serve the animals of Catoosa County.

As the group’s brochure states, “Recycle love! Adopt a pet.”