Deborah Clark, director of the Animal Refuge League in Westbrook, Maine, says that her shelter first networks throughout the state to make sure no dogs are in danger of being euthanized just for space reasons. When her group does import dogs from the South, they are young-adult canines that are "running out of their time" at other shelters, Clark adds.
State officials, however, aren't happy about this situation. New Hampshire's agriculture department is backing a bill that would ban imported pets from a state program that subsidizes the neutering costs of animals adopted from shelters. The department's overpopulation- control program has already exhausted its $300,000 fund for the year and will shut down during May and June.
"The program was created 10 years ago for the overpopulation of New Hampshire dogs; it wasn't intended for dogs from Tennessee or West Virginia," says Dr. Clifford McGinnis, the state's veterinarian. "Many people feel we're just responsible for New Hampshire. It was not agreed then to take care of other people's problems." In addition, McGinnis is concerned that dogs could slip into the state without a certificate of veterinary inspection and introduce new diseases.
