To the Editor:

On Sept, 28 I saw a report on the area TV news regarding the SPCA near Ogdensburg being a very high kill shelter. The woman in charge said it was because they never turn anyone away. That would lead to some dogs and cats coming in that are too sick, too badly injured, or too difficult to handle having to be pt down. That also happens in so called 'no kill" shelters.

But this does not fit with our dealings with this SPCA in 1991 and 2007 and 9. We found a wonderful young shaggy dog in 1991 who was with us 15 years there. At the time, the lady at the desk went out of her way to help save another dog I had wanted. Our dog had been there nearly 2 months and I had known of others there for a number of months before that. In 2007 we called about a dog shown on the SPCA site. She was being fostered after having been at large and indecent for a couple of years. Two years later I stopped to look at another pup and still found the place full of very desirable dogs and cats (allergic to cats sadly).

In 2017 we lost the wonderful sheepdog we found in a shelter near Malone. As I began combing the sites of shelters all over the expanded area, I periodically checked this SPCA periodically and found almost no dogs available. We found finally found a little guy in another shelter.

Since 1991 we have found (unknowing at the time) 2 V rare purebred pups and out current little mutt who adores people in shelters. I found my first puppy in the road 43 years ago while single. Since 1991 we have fund 2 "strays" who we were able to return home, one wanderer who would not stay and 2 strays we Vetted, licensed and kept till we found homes for them. The last was saved from death as he was a handful to most, but became docile when his owner came to see, if it was his.

In our search for a new pup in 2017 we found all sorts of so called rescues and shelters, each seeming to have different rules for adoption than the other. Several had no set location, but fostered all their charges. We were often treated badly, but wonderfully a couple of times.

I have to simply state that there must be a better alternative to the way the SPCA in The Burg is run now. It's clear there was a change in management a while back. It's time for another change. The national organization should pull their affiliation and the place should either become the type of place it once was (only 6 dogs there last night), or be closed. What is going in there now is truly tragic as would be the total loss of that shelter - having so much potential for good for so many! It's a heartbreaking situation for a dog and animal lover.

William Arnold
Canton