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August 16, 2010 (Regular Meeting) Page 76 office is closed and they would not have been there to take her. She told me she must have been left with the Humane Society and to come back at 5:30 and talk to them. I asked to look through the cages, but they would not let me. They seemed to have complete disregard for my situation. At 5:30 I came back and checked with the Humane Society. They told me that they do not take animals from individuals. But they were willing to let me look through their cages. Snowflake was nowhere to be found. I asked if they could get me into the back to Animal Control cages, but they could not. They advised me to go back to the homeowner that brought the cat in and see who she left her with. That perhaps she had just left her outside. I went back to the homeowner and she told me again what she was telling me when I left before and quit listening. That the Humane Society would not take the cat, but she was able to flag down and animal control truck as he pulled in to the parking lot. It was that officer that took Snowflake. I now had to wait until Tuesday to get back in touch with animal control. Dispatch was not able to get me to someone that night. So I waited, still hoping that Snowflake was in a cage safe and sound and would be coming home soon. But the ladies at the Humane Society had warned me that she was likely already put down if animal control had taken her, so I was also worried. Tuesday morning, I called animal control again. This time the officer that was on duty Sunday was contacted and asked to call me. He called, but the news was not good. Snowflake was dropped off to him Sunday around 4 p.m. She was killed by Animal Control before 5 a.m. Monday morning. No effort was made to find her home. She was not held for the required 72 hours. I was denied my rights per North Carolina law to see the back cages. Snowflake was denied the right to live. Wednesday she was returned to me, as a bag of ashes; mixed with other "unwanted" animals. Snowflake was wanted, she was loved and she had a home. I am left wondering how many of the others in her bag were too. I am before you today to beg for change. The first change I ask for is an easy one. Change the practices of Cabarrus County Animal Control. Make sure that the animals picked up and brought to animal control are held for the required time by law and an attempt is made to find their homes. Don't let anyone else go through what me and my family have been through. I am also going to beg you to change one step further. Turn Cabarrus County Animal control into a No Kill organization. Make our County the one others envy. The one that saves instead of kills. Jessica Juba, resident of 2875 Eagle View Place in Concord, read the following statement: It is exciting to know that you are committed to implementing a "no kill" animal policy in our county. I commend you Commissioner Carruth for taking the lead and putting together a task force that will change the way we handle our animals. While we have to get organized and begin to implement this plan timely, we can stop the killing now. Impediments to this are the bureaucratic mindset of animal service employees, powers that have the authority to make change, a lack of urgency and a false notion that people are irresponsible and there are too many animals and not enough homes. If the latter is really true, then why are pet stores and breeders still in business? These are typical excuses to validate the slaying of perfectly healthy adoptable animals and to continue with the status quo. However, statistics show that these excuses are absolutely false. WSOC just stated last night that Cabarrus County is forced to euthanize eighty percent of animals due to slow adoption rates and limited space. How can the county have slow adoption rates if they have no adoption program, period? They are not killing animals because of limited space or slow adoption rates. They are killing animals because they do not have life saving