The Fall River-Freetown State Forest has become a dumping ground for record numbers of unwanted dogs whose owners can't or won't pay a fee for surrendering them to shelters.

"I picked up 26 dogs in four weeks in the forest. Somebody has been dumping dogs, because it will be a run on the same breed of dog," said Animal Control Officer David Frates. "One month it will be German shepherds. Another month Labs and, later, boxers.

"A lady told me that she paid $25 to a man in a bar in Fall River to find a good home for her dog," Mr. Frates said. "I think that maybe someone out there is making a business of this. ... There must be breeders involved because a lot of these animals are purebred."

According to Mr. Frates, the forest has always been a popular place to leave animals that inevitably come looking for food in the backyards of neighbors. When that happens, the animal control officer will usually get a call from a resident asking that the dog be removed.

Mr. Frates, who is the animal control officer for Lakeville, Freetown, Carver, Rochester and Berkley, said most dogs are picked up in Freetown — 87 in 2008. Stray dogs from the five towns are brought to the Lakeville Animal Shelter.

"People would rather dump the dog than pay the $50 fee to leave him here at the shelter. Our fee is cheaper than other shelters, but some owners still don't want to pay it," Mr. Frates said.

But the cost of leaving a dog in the woods is much higher if the person is caught, said Brian Adams, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. "Willful abandonment" of a domesticated animal is punishable by up to five years in prison and a $2,500 fine.

"It falls under animal cruelty," Mr. Adams said.

For animals that have always been in captivity, there is little chance they would quickly adapt to living in the wild or form a pack, Mr. Adams added. The biggest concern for the MSPCA is that the dogs stay alive until they are rounded up by animal control officers.

"The thing we would be concerned about is not them forming a pack or anything, it's about them surviving," he said.

"Especially with the temperatures and the weather the way it's been going, they probably wouldn't even have time to get to know another dog out there."

In addition to groups of same-breed dogs being abandoned, Mr. Frates said that in 2008, in particular, he has seen a number of people surrendering dogs because of home foreclosures and other economic factors.

Every dog taken into the shelter stays for 10 days and is given veterinary care at $170 per dog.

As 2008 came to a close, the Lakeville Animal Shelter had cared for a total of 316 dogs from the five towns at a cost of $53,720.

"I had to go back to Freetown to ask for more money, which they gave, because by law we have to provide this service. ... It has been difficult because donations are down this year," Mr. Frates said.

Along with providing food, shelter and veterinary care for the dogs, Mr. Frates checks them for behavioral and health problems.

Those that are found to be aggressive or sickly — 16 by the end of 2008 — are euthanized.

"Some people don't want to pay the costs of medical care or putting the dog down, so they abandon the pet," Mr. Frates said. "We found an old dog with crippled hind legs that had been just left on the side of the road in Bay Shores. Can you imagine that? It is like leaving an elderly relative on the side of the road."

The good news, he said, is that the Lakeville Animal Shelter has a good track record with adoptions, with most of the dogs finding homes before they'd have to move on to long-term shelters.

Amanda Hall of Middleboro, accompanied by her father Jeff Hall, recently came into the shelter to adopt a young German shepherd that she named Cleopatra.

"My fiance has always wanted a German shepherd, so Cleopatra will be a surprise birthday present. My father adopted Wrinkles, his Shar-Pei, from here two months ago. Everybody needs a home," Ms. Hall said.

According to shelter officials, dogs that are currently available for adoption include: a young, female Rottweiler with sparkling eyes and a gentle demeanor; a young, muscular, male bull terrier with tons of playful energy, and an older male Labrador retriever who is very affectionate.

For more information on adoption or to make a donation, call the Lakeville Animal Shelter at (508) 947-3891. To report animal abandonment, call the MSPCA law enforcement line at 1-800-628-5808.

Reference:

South Coast Today