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Suncoast Pinellas News
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Published: July 26, 2008
The muddle surrounding stray and abused domestic animals on the Suncoast was brought into focus again this week. Back in April, the Suncoast Animal League took into custody 120 dogs from a Tarpon Springs-area home it believed were being neglected. On Wednesday, Pinellas County Judge Myra Scott McNary ruled the league's executive director, Rick Chaboudy, lacked the authority to seize the dogs.
According to The Tampa Tribune, another judge had given Chaboudy the authority to investigate alleged animal neglect. The problem, according to McNary's ruling, was Chaboudy had never received authorization from the County Commission, as required by law, to take abused animals into custody. Chaboudy, who has been involved in animal welfare work in North Pinellas for years, said after Wednesday's hearing this came as a "complete shock."
The area's stray and neglected pet problem overwhelms the ability of any single group, public or private, to deal with it. We should make it easier than it appears to be for competent animal welfare organizations to lend a hand. Getting the OK to look into animal neglect and take action to remove dogs and cats from an abusive situation should be a one-stop process. Chaboudy's organization has spent around $100,000 caring for the dogs it took in custody in April, so it and other organization would have a financial incentive not to abuse their seizure powers.
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