Cumberland County Animal Control Hits Airwaves To Promote Pet Care

The purpose of "Pet Matters," the new public affairs program hosted by Cumberland County Animal Control, is to discuss a variety of issues on animal care. It will also feature pets available for adoption.

"We're trying to educate as many people as possible," says Cumberland County Animal Control officer Jonny Smith.

The new show comes from a recommendation based on an evaluation by the National Animal Control Association. Some people feel the show is only a temporary fix to a much bigger problem.

"It's a piece meal approach to dealing with the problems as they pop up," Goldstein says.

An example of the problem popped up last year.More than 50 cats and dogsbelonging to Daisy McDougal were euthanized by Animal Control.

Some people, including Goldstein, think other options, such as adoption, should have been considered first.

Animal Control knows it cannot bring the animals back, but it hopes the new show will improve their image.

"The biggest room is for improvement. When you notice you have deficiencies, we try to work on them and improve them," Smith says.

The new 30-minute public affairs show will air 7 p.m. every Friday night. The first show will debut August 4.