The official position of Community Pet Center (CPC) as decided in their recent board meeting August 24, 2010

  It is the County’s responsibility to fund new buildings to support County functions.  The biggest need facing the County now is to replace the current substandard animal shelter.  The Community Pet Center’s mission is to educate & support the community with regards to their pets.  The CPC’s mission is not to build or provide facilities for animals.

  “Our organization is concerned about the welfare of animals and not about building structures,” said Fred Bayley CPC Board Chair. “The current proposal being considered by the county commissioners was not our idea and we have never formally endorsed it.”

   The current animal shelter is over 40 years old and in substandard condition.  It has a poor inspection record.  There is no hot water to sanitize. Overcrowding happens constantly.  There is no effective heating or cooling system. During this summer the animals had to endure temperatures over 100 degrees. These are just a few of the problems with the physical structure of the current animal shelter.

   CPC’s position is that Rutherford County needs to build a replacement for the current animal shelter.  This is the biggest need not an adoption center.  The County provides three functions in the animal shelter: Intake of animals, holding/euthanasia, and adoption.  The third function is what the CPC handles for the County daily with volunteers which saves taxpayer money.

  The CPC’s mission is to help the adoption of animals, educate about responsible pet ownership and reduce the unwanted pet population. “We currently run our adoption program out of a very small office on the animal shelter location.” said Lynne Faltraco CPC Facility Manager. “While the proposed adoption center would make our job easier, it is not the county’s greatest need.”

   The CPC is a non-profit program with no paid employees.  There are many programs in addition to running the adoption process for the county.  The New Leash on Life teaches inmates to train dogs for adoption. A low cost spay-neuter program makes it more accessible to owners. The Pet Food Pantry provides pet food for owners in need. Education programs are run in concert with the schools. A pet obedience classes educate the community about responsible pet ownership.