On May 3rd, Dallas County voters will have the opportunity topass a proposition that will drastically improve life for peopleand animals.

Proposition seven is a bill being proposed to replace theOakcliff Animal Shelter. According to a recent study, Oakcliffrated as one of the worst shelters in the state of Texas. The $11.7million proposed plan will not rebuild or remodel the Oakclifffacility, but it will completely replace it with a”state-of-the-art, newly built, relocated facility.” This will notonly help the animals, who are living in dismal conditions at thecurrent shelter, but it will also help owners find lost petsfaster, and potential parents better access to the animals up foradoption.

Of the 17 bonds proposed for the vote, the animal shelter is thetwelfth cheapest bond. Streets, which are an important need forDallas voters, have two separate bonds up for voting, which intotal are going to receive $266.9 million, when all the animalswant is a lousy $11.7.

I realize the importance of the need for fixing the streets, butwe are talking about animals, not shocks on cars. Although it doesmean an increase in taxes, the increase is going to be so small forthe shelter. The importance of a good shelter not only helps theanimals it also helps the communities affected by the straypopulation.

According to the Dallas Morning News editorial published onApril 15: “Of all the calls to the city’s 311 number in 2001-2002,65 percent were about uncontrolled animals. In some parts of thecity, stray dogs are a hazard, bringing disease and terror. The newshelter would provide plenty of space for strays. And it would helpimprove the city’s abysmal record of connecting lost pets withowners.”

Every year, the city puts down countless numbers of animals, notonly because of the extreme amount of animals that are located inthe facilities, but the lack of appeal for people to adopt becauseof the horrible conditions of the shelters. No one wants to go to aplace that smells terrible, where the animals look depressed andthe people who work there act like they are put out at everyquestioned asked.

A new facility could change all of this and more. It isimportant to have a good place in order to allow for potentialowners the opportunity to view animals and see the choices theyhave.

I feel so strongly about this issue because I went to theOakcliff shelter a few weeks ago to adopt a pet and was appalled bythe conditions these animals were placed in. I realize there is ahorrible overpopulation problem in Dallas, but what those animalsare living in is outlandish.

Every animal there was in an extremely small cage, surrounded byother animals that not only were loud, but could actually containdiseases that could kill that animal. I actually saw a mother dogfeeding what looked to be three different litters of puppies.However, this group of animals was in the same size cage as aneight-year-old miniature Chihuahua, whose eyes were so swollen frominfection it couldn’t see. When I tried to find someone to askabout actually removing an animal from this atrocious situation, Ifelt like I was on a deserted island.

The proposition not only includes a 57,000 square foot facility,but also more money allotted to pay workers, and a plan toencourage volunteers to help out. I personally would love to helpout, but the location of the facility is out in the middle ofnowhere, and is extremely hard to locate, even with directions fromthe oh-so-helpful secretary.

Also, the horrible smell and conditions that those animals arein absolutely kills me. The importance of this proposition is notonly for the animals but for people too. When you loose youranimal, the only thing you want is to get it back. With the newfacility and all the new technological advances made in trackinganimals, the chance of relocating a lost pet is greatlyimproved.

Everyone knows what it is like to have a pet. They deserve thebest situation available to not only be kept, but also to beadopted. This facility is not only for the animals, but moreimportantly, the potential owners. Although the price is high, theneed is higher. When it comes to May 3rd, think of the animals thatneed a better, safer, cleaner place to live.