I cover several small town council meetings in the county and know that stray dogs and cats are an issue in several of them. Folks in the countryside complain about animals being dumped and there is seldom a week that goes by where I don't see an animal that has been killed on the street.

Even in Greencastle where I reside there is a feral cat living under one of our bushes. Several people living near the DePauw campus also have issues with feral cats.

I have seen comments from people who are willing to pay the licensing fees but don't know where to pay them. I even had a phone call from a lady who tried to pay for five dogs at the courthouse and was turned away.

I know there have been several meetings of folks from all over the county to discuss animal control but the meetings haven't gone anywhere.

When my family and I first moved to Putnam County eight years ago, one of the first places we visited was the Humane Shelter. It was there that my son, then a fifth grader, fell in love with the dog that came to live with us.

If it were not for the Shelter we would never have come to know our beloved dog Sheva. She was an older pet who had been dropped off by a couple with a new baby and a small apartment. She was very well disciplined and very obedient and would sit for hours if you would pet or brush her.

If it weren't for Sheva, I don't know that my son would have survived his first year in this community. To the day she died, which was two years this July 4, she was our protector, friend and family member. We miss her daily.

And, I would never have been blessed to have her in our life if it weren't for the Putnam County Humane Shelter. So despite the issues with staffs, budgets, buildings and fundraising, I wish them the best of luck in finding a way to re-open the shelter.