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Animal lovers rally to adopt pets of deployed Marines
Thursday February 06, 2003
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. (AP) After people rallied to adopt pets
of deployed Marines from an overcrowded animal shelter, officials
said Thursday the shelter would stop accepting animals at the end
of the month.
The Domestic Animal Control Facility at Camp Pendleton will stop
accepting pets from Marines on March 1 and close by Aug. 1, said
Col. Leo A. Mercado, assistant chief of staff of security and
emergency services, in a written statement.
``Requirements have been levied upon the installation to review
and prioritize core functions and domestic animal control is
considered a lesser priority,'' Mercado said. ``Although the
domestic animal control facility will cease operations, our first
and foremost concern is the health and welfare of the animals that
are presently under our care.''
As Marines at this San Diego County base head to the Middle East
and other hot spots around the world, many are being forced to part
with their pets.
News of the overcrowded shelter broke earlier this week when
base officials desperate to find homes for the pets ran ads in
local newspapers and tacked up fliers at animal care centers in
Oceanside and San Clemente.
``The phone has been ringing nonstop since Monday. Everyone has
been coming by, saying they were heartbroken by the story of the
Marines and their dogs,'' said Kyoko Childress, a worker at the
shelter.
As of Thursday, shelter officials said they had six dogs and
some cats.
Patti Daly of Lake Forest said she is willing to do whatever she
can to help.
``We're sending these guys off to war; the least we could do is
hold on to their animals for them,'' Daly said. ``I'm sure a lot of
these guys would love to home to their animals. They might not have
anybody else to come home to.''
Childress said she wasn't sure a foster-care program was
beneficial to the animal.
Although many have offered large sums of money to help keep the
animal shelter afloat, base spokesman Capt. Chris Logan said the
shelter will close its doors.
``Nothing is really going to change the decision to close the
shelter,'' he said.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
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