The Texan Newspaper (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 46, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 16, 1988 Page: 1 of 16
sixteen pages : ill. ; page 12 x 9 in. Digitized from 35 mm. microfilm.View a full description of this newspaper.
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Bellaire/West University
Edition
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Letters P. 2
Calendar P. 3
Bellaire Connection P. 10
Crossword P 10
Horoscopes P 10
Classifieds P 13
Volume 36, Number 46 . Nov. 16,1988 • 6223 Richmond, Suite 102 • P.O. Box 571267 • Houston, Texas 77257 • (713
783-5600 • Serving Southwest Houston Area Since 1954
This dog, penned at the city's kennel for stray animals,
will likely be among the hundreds of dogs and cats which
are euthaniscd by injection each day in the city of Houston.
Though animal lovers may protest, city officials say the
massive pet over-population is caused by local residents
who allow their pets to stray and breed indiscriminately -
an action which, for pets amounts to
A Death Sentence
By Ann Allender
and Nick Herrera
M. hey come in all shapes and sizes. There are short, perky
ones and large, lazy ones. Some bark loudly and greet visitors
heartily at the door to their cage and others cower in a comer of
their pen.
Though these animals at the city of Houston’s animal control
kennel arc varied in size, health and personality, they all share one
thing in common - their fate.
Tragically, almost all of these animals will die soon, victims of
a society which officials say is either loo apathetic or too unaware
of the seriousness of the problem.
There arc approximately 750,000 dogs and cats in the Houston
area and more than 60 percent of this figure arc strays.
“We receive 472 calls a day, six days a week concerning stray
animals,” explains Dr. Robert Armstrong, chief of the Bureau of
Animal Regulation and Care (B ARC) at the city of Houston. ‘‘We
have manpower to dispatch 103 calls a day. There are always 300
animals in the kennel and we pick up 100 new dogs each day. Of
these animals we kill 93.55 percent, 3.24 percent are redeemed by
owners, 1.77 percent are sold for research and .11 percent are
adopted.
“More than 100,000 dogs and cals will be euthaniscd or run
over by cars this year in Houston,” Armstrong explained. “The
city of Houston alone will destroy 26,615 stray dogs and cats
during 1988.”
Once a dog or cat is picked up by an animal control officer, it
stays three days in the city’s kennel. If it is not claimed or adopted,
the animal is euthaniscd. Every day, barrels arc loaded v/ith dog
and cat carcasses and stored in a large walk-in freezer, awaiting
disposal.
“The city kills 33 tons of animals a month. It’s a callous way
of looking at the situation, but it may be the only way to get the
public’s attention,” said Armstrong.
“It’s pathetic. It drives me nuts. I didn’t go to vet school to put
animals to death,” he says. Armstrong says the solution lies in the
spaying or neutering of the animals by all pet owners.
The department’s 1989 budget is nearly $2 million and Arm-
strong says seven-eighths of it is for the stray animal problem
that’s plaguing the city. But with an annually shrinking budget, the
situation doesn’t look promising.
For information on spaying and neutering pets, The Texan
spoke with local veterinarian Dr. Archie Ryan of the Sunset
Boulevard Animal Clinic. "Costs vary to neuter and spay dogs and
cats. Neutering a cat ranges from S25 to $35; spaying ranges from
$50 to $70. Neutering a dog can cost between $60 to $85; and
spaying can cost from $60 to SI00.
Continued on Page 8
Rising to the
Occasion
A.
By Nick Herrera
Texan Editor
. lot of Meyerland residents are doing a double-take as they
drivedownNorthBracswoodBoulcvardlhcscdays. What’s all the
commotion about?
It seems one of their neighbors has figured out how to keep her
house high and dry - even while living next to the flood-prone
Brays Bayou. The answer was simple: raise the house four feet off
the ground.
While house raising and moving is not exactly uncommon in
Houston, a house raising of this type is. Most houses, set on piers
are relatively easy to raise and move. But raising a house on a slab
foundation four feet up just isn’t done everyday!
“I told my husband, ‘If they can go to the moon, they can raise
our house! * ” homeowner Pauline Kilgore of 4802 N. Bracswood,
explained to a curious visitor to her home recently.
Continued on Page 12
Mcyerlander
Pauline
KUg'
points to
what will
soon be her
“raised
cottage
house."
THIS WEEK AT AGLANCE
Sharpstown
leaders chosen
Residents of Sharpstown will elect their neighborhood
leaders this week at the monthly meeting of the
Sharpstown Civic Association. The meeting is set for
Nov. 17,7:30 p.m., at the Bayland Community Center,
6400 Bissonnet.1989 officers and directors will be
elected. In addition, a question and answer session on
current civic club programs will be held.
Air Force Band
jazzes it up
The rousing Air Force Band of the West, Dimensions
in Blue will appear in a free concert at Lansdale Park,
8201 Roos.on Saturday, Nov. 12, beginning at 1 p.m. A
pre-concert performance by the Klickety Kloggcrs will
be presented.
The jazz ensemble, from Lackland Air Force Base in
San Antonio, will present a variety of musical moods
ranging from the swinging big band sounds of Woody
Herman and Maynard Ferguson to the mellow sounds of
A1 Jarrcau. Call 845-1008 for more info.
Metro Board to meet
The board of directors of the Metropolitan Transit
Authority will hold its regular monthly board meeting on
Monday, Nov. 21, at 10 a.m. at Metro headquarters, 500
Jefferson, 12th floor board room.
Bazaar helps pets
The Houston Humane Society’s Annual Bazaar, spon-
sored by Hill’s Science Diet, is Nov. 19-20, at the IBEW
Hall, 610 and Ella. Donations of hand-crafted items,
plants or other gifts are needed. Call Donna at 433-6421.
All donations are tax deductible and all proceeds benefit
homeless and abused animals.
Bellaire
teen dance set
The Bellaire Parks and Recreation Board and the
Optimist Club is sponsoring a Harvest Dance for sixth,
seventh and eighth graders in Bellaire. The dance will be
held Nov. 19, from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Bellaire Civic
Center, located at 7008 S. Rice Avc. Admission is SI at
the door. Refreshments will be sold.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
“It’s all right to save money,
but too many are trying to save it
from people they owe it to.”
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The Texan Newspaper (Houston, Tex.), Vol. 36, No. 46, Ed. 1 Wednesday, November 16, 1988, newspaper, November 16, 1988; Houston, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth641801/m1/1/: accessed May 22, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Bellaire Friends Library & Historical Society.