The Humane Society of Eastern Oregon Pet Rescue has come under attack recently as concerned residents have brought a series of complaints to the City Council who want city officials to look into the matter. This in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. The city, after all, does contract with the shelter to take in animals that are found loose or seized within Hermiston.

What is unfortunate is the tone this issue has taken, with genuine concerns getting lost in the anger or amid general discontent with the shelter based on poor past experiences.

Another thing that is getting lost in the negativity is the fact that Hermiston is fortunate to have a facility like Pet Rescue, regardless of whether or not it practices euthanasia, which appears to be at the center of most of the complaints.

Pet Rescue takes in stray animals, primarily dogs, or pets that owners can no longer care for or keep and gives them a temporary home. Essentially, Pet Rescue takes in animals off the streets, where they are in danger of getting hit by cars or causing trouble, and provides people with an alternative to abandoning animals they, for whatever reason, cannot maintain as pets.

After these animals are brought to the facility, they are cared for — provided shelter that keeps them out of the elements and receive food and water, no guarantee if left to their own devices on the streets. The ones that are eligible are placed up for adoption. Numerous animals have received a new lease on life after being adopted and finding a forever home because of Pet Rescue through the years.

Yes, some animals, including the ones that are sick or aggressive, are euthanized. This, however, is not unique and is a standard operating procedure at many animal shelters in large cities and small. Unfortunately, Pet Rescue is a small operation — with limited shelter space. It also doesn’t have the money or resources available to provide medical care or rehabilitation some of the animals may need. Just as it would be cruel to let animals that are sick continue to suffer, it would be irresponsible to place dogs that are aggressive toward humans in homes.

Overall, Pet Rescue provides a very valuable service to this part of Umatilla County. Without it, where would Hermiston and the surrounding areas, and, more importantly, these animals be?

That said, Pet Rescue should not get a free pass because it is providing a service to the community. If the animals were mistreated or neglected, obviously, that should be reported to law enforcement authorities. Thus far, however, the complaints about Pet Rescue have not been about criminal activity, which is important to note.

At the same time, valid concerns about the facility should not be disregarded by the pet shelter, especially when they are accompanied by reasonable solutions that can be implemented. Surely productive suggestions would be welcome.

Unfortunately, valid concerns and solutions are getting lost amid those complaints by people who dislike Pet Rescue or its directors on principle. Regardless of how well meaning a cause is, if the chorus of general discontent is so loud and negative in nature, any positive or productive suggestions or measures generated may be drowned out in the process.

Presumably, all parties involved in this conversation are acting out of concern for the animals’ well being at the pet shelter. In that case, perhaps the most productive course of action at this juncture would be for past animosity and ill will to be set aside and for the various parties involved to sit down together, maybe with a neutral third party, so legitimate concerns and complaints can be addressed, questions answered and, hopefully, solutions amenable to everybody can be found.

So far, one positive change has come from this largely negative issue: Beginning in February, Pet Rescue will be working with the Oregon Humane Society for a van to regularly come and take some of the dogs at the shelter and place them elsewhere so they can be adopted. This should ease some of Pet Rescue’s burden, especially in caring for larger dogs, and also free up space for animals needing temporary shelter.

This is a positive step. Another positive step would be for all concerned parties to work together in a cooperative, rather than antagonistic, manner to make Pet Rescue an even greater service in the community.

— Jessica Keller is the editor of the Hermiston Herald. She can be reached at jkeller@hermistonherald.com