Maine Dog Breeders Upset with Animal Welfare Division

Maine dog breeders are peeved!  These breeders along with many dog owners are upset at the way the State’s Animal Welfare Division is being handled by the Director Norma Worley. Many are describing Worley as being too aggressive and not working with dog rescue groups and private shelters. 

More recently Worley has introduced a proposal to raise the cost of everything from pet licenses to boarding kennel licenses for dog owners and dog breeders.  Many breeders feel they are being unfairly targeted by Worley’s decisions and proposed taxes. 

One concerned citizen, Amy Davis of Gouldsboro emailed the Bangor Daily News stating, ‘We dog breeders and owners have simply had it…Why is there no plan to tax cats, horses, goats, cattle, alpacas? Our dog taxes are paying for these seizures too. Why is the brunt of this bill being forced upon the law-abiding few when more than 60 percent of Maine dog owners do not license their dogs?’

Others are upset with the way Worley is handling the Animal Welfare Division.  In the past 12 months in just the state of Maine has seized more than 500 animals and somehow managed to overrun it’s budget by more than half a million dollars.  Obviously some of this must have been necessary in the best interests of animal seized and money spent but it’s hard to see how all of that overspending can be justified.  Why that’s more than $1000 per animal that’s been seized in just budget overrun alone. 

To help cover this massive budget blow up Worley intends to raise the cost of things like licenses, in some cases almost doubling them.  The cost of pet licenses for fertile dogs would go from $11 to $20, the cost of license for spayed or neutered dogs would go from $6 to $10 and the cost of a boarding kennel license would rise from $75 to $150.

Source: http://www.bangornews.com/detail/91130.html