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Article Archive > Canine constructions Canine constructions Think your dogs can stand the heat? Think again. When the temperature rises, dogs need shelter, and nothing short of a family home - or a doghouse - will do. "We want people to keep their animals inside and be part of their family," says Francesca Alexander, volunteer coordinator for the Monmouth County Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. But if that's not possible, then providing them with a doghouse will safely shield them from the elements, she says. Unfortunately, too many dogs don't have shelter of any kind, and "the laws of New Jersey aren't strict enough to prohibit people from leaving their animals outside," she says. This can be particularly dangerous and cruel when it's "sweltering heat or freezing cold," she says. "We get calls every day about dogs being abused or neglected," Alexander says. "As members of the SPCA, we need to educate people." That's just what the SPCA did on June 23, when it hosted its first Dog House Building Event, called "Gimme Shelter." About 50 people - including shelter volunteers and employees from Schoor DePalma in Manalapan, where the event was held - showed up, armed with plywood, paint, screws and shingles. By day's end, they had built 12 doghouses that will be given to those who can't afford them. "We do 100 investigations a month," says Buddy Amato, chief humane law enforcement officer at the MCSPCA, who helped coordinate the event. "A lot of times we go on call and realize people want to do the right thing but can't afford to buy a doghouse," he says. Failure to provide proper shelter for an animal is an offense that carries a minimum fine of $250, Amato says. Sometimes, it can run as high as $1,000, with the average being $500. But he thought it didn't make sense to make people pay the fine when the money could go toward the cost of a new doghouse, Amato says, which is about $250. "We'd rather give them a doghouse and educate them and help the dogs at the same time," he says. It's not always the offenders' fault, Amato says. "People don't realize that animals have to have shelter," he says. "Certain dogs can't handle the heat, or even thunderstorms, and can freeze to death in the winter" if they are left outside, Amato says. There are those people who know the laws and dangers and still keep their animals outside, often without food and water, and they are the ones who end up in court, Amato says. Only those pet owners with the best intentions will get the new, top-of-the-line doghouses, built to weather all conditions, to last as long as they might be needed and to provide relief for their recipients. Many local vendors contributed materials for the doghouses, Alexander says: Bose donated plywood, Bain's Hardware donated paint, and Gold Lumber donated two-by-fours and two-by-twos. "The day went really smoothly," Alexander says. "We'll definitely do it again next year." |