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COLUMBUS – Colorado County and the surrounding areas have had a serious issue involving strays and abandoned animals that has only grown with time. The litter of family pets are left out in the wild as the animal shelters all over Texas become overrun by a concerning number of neglected pets. Paul Picasso, a young man from Sealy, and his family have taken it upon themselves to help the organizations in the area in the fight to keep pets off the streets and into permanent homes with caring owners. Due to his enterprising efforts, Picasso helped raise nearly 300 dollars to donate to Columbus Rescue Dogs, an organization that helps strays and unwanted pets find permanent homes.
The idea first set root inside Picasso’s mind after meeting a stray near his house that had suffered a physical impairment as well as the psychological damage of abuse by humans. The encounter impacted Picasso in a major way, leading him to develop a desire to help all dogs and pets that might be in similar situations.
“I wanted to help dogs out so they can get better at being comfortable with people,” Picasso said.
To achieve his goal, Picasso decided that raising money for the pounds and re-home organizations in the area would be one of the most impactful ways to make a difference for the abandoned animals. With help from his parents, Picasso built and ran a streetside stand as he raised money for the cause by selling lemonade outside of his house to his neighbors in the town.
The Picassos began their lemonade stand near the end of the school year in May. Just a few months later, they had raised hundreds of dollars with the intent of contributing every cent to local dog rescue organizations and pounds.
However, raising the funds seemed to be the easy part as Picasso struggled finding locations that would accept his donations. After being turned away six different times, the Picassos finally found the Columbus Rescue Dogs organization that had already been fighting for their cause for several years. The organization graciously accepted the donation of dog toys and surgery money, and gifted Picasso with a shirt to show their appreciation for the necessary contributions.
Picasso did not rest on his accomplishment after a job well done as he and his family continue to run the lemonade stand with hopes of donating even more money to the surrounding animal rescue organizations.
While Picasso has made an impact at a young age, his plight is just a hint at a larger problem that has been affecting Colorado County and the many surrounding areas and counties.
The stray population in the rural areas of Texas has gotten larger as pet owners have neglected some of the necessary actions to keep that population down. Columbus Rescue Dogs advocates for some simple ideals that would drastically reduce the number of strays and relieve some of the overcrowded vets and pounds in the area.
“The pounds are full, [the animals] are dumped off,” Columbus Rescue Dogs volunteer Patty Stavvinoha said, “We don’t have animal control outside of the city limits.”
The first ideal is that each pet in the household should be spayed and neutered to prevent the pets from producing a litter of offspring. The offspring often create a monetary strain on the pet owner if they keep the litter, but more often than not, the young animals are sold, gifted or abandoned to avoid such a strain. However, there are several organizations that have been created to help ease the burden of getting pets spayed and neutered. Prevent Unwanted Pets or PUPS in Cat Spring is a local organization that will help pay the rest of the fee depending on what the pet owner can contribute themselves.
The second ideal is that adopting and choosing a pet is a lifetime commitment. Too often, pet owners will adopt pets not thinking of the potential veterinary bills, food costs and general care these animals need to feel safe and comfortable in their environments. Instead of accepting responsibility and taking accountability for how their pet fares, many have abandoned their pets on farms and other areas out in the country. These actions directly impact and increase the number of strays roaming the rural roads in the area.
“Once you get a dog it’s a life commitment. It’s like having a kid. When you have a kid, you don’t throw them out,” Stavvinoha said, “It is a commitment to care for that dog. And if you don’t spay and neuter, you’ll have five more to care for.”
While Columbus Rescue Dogs has been working tirelessly to keep dogs off the streets and rehome them locally or in the northeast where stray laws are much more stringent, they are already stretched thin and work the equivalent of a full-time job towards making sure that abandoned pets can find somewhere to live comfortably. Citizens like Picasso greatly help their cause and bring some relief to their dwindling time and resources. Each volunteer houses and cares for a number of foster dogs as they try to find new homes for the pets in their care. The most impactful support they can receive is more volunteers who can temporarily care for dogs and help ease the burden on the current group, as well as those who can provide funds that help purchase food and veterinary services for the pets.
The issue of the stray population is one that will require a higher priority within the community. Pet owners taking charge by spaying and neutering their own pets can be satisfied knowing that they have contributed to a solution. Those like Paul Picasso who want to take their assistance the next step further can donate their time or funds to foster dogs or support the ones that are currently being fostered.
Without a more focused effort by pet owners and the community in general, abandoned pets roaming along the sides of these rural roads will become an even more common sight.
