Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

City seeks homes for pets

There are five friends in cages this Christmas season, one with a hope of going home and four looking for a new home.

Is this a homeless shelter or jail for people, you may ask? No, these are the occupants at the Gurdon Dog Pound, over beside the City Street Department on Fallin Road, behind the Church of God.

Matt Dickerson, who took over as animal control officer for the city in November, said two of the dogs are males, black lab mixes, less than six months old. They came in skinny on Nov. 18, but have put on weight, are "looking good" and ready for adoption.

"We also have a three-year-old German Shepherd mix that is very friendly and in good shape," Dickerson said. "The fourth one is an old Rottweiler. All four are males and ready for new homes. We keep the dogs a minimum of five days to give the owner a chance to pick them up. We plan on keeping these dogs until after Christmas so they have a good chance to get adopted. Our fifth dog has an owner to be notified  so hopefully he will go on home."

Tambra Childres, recorder and treasurer, said the Gurdon Dog Pound started in 1998, after the city passed a half cent sales tax for funding. It was a way to enforce the leash law.

There are 12 pens, with the potential of housing two dogs each. The shelter was built with a Cabe grant. Dr. James Waymack, veterinarian in Arkadelphia, puts the unclaimed dogs to sleep when the pens get too full.

Dickerson said the city is required to keep them at least five days. Childres said it is a goal of the city to certify Dickerson to be able to put dogs down eventually. He will have to take classes with a veterinarian. She said anyone with a dog problem could call the police department and they will get in touch with Dickerson.

"We try to adopt them," Childres said. "It costs $25 to adopt a dog. If a prospective dog owner does not bring us back proof of rabies vaccination, they lose their dog and the $25."

Dickerson, 21, has been a coon hunter most of his life, and is from the Whelen Springs area. A full-time Water Department employee, his love for animals led to applying for the part-time animal control position.

Childres said Wal-Mart has always donated the dog food for the pound. Dickerson said he checks on the animals for food, water and cleaning of pens at least three times a day.