Local animal groups vie for control of city pound
Susan DeVilder
The Star Courier
KEWANEE Which organization will receive the contract to operate the city pound could be decided at the next Kewanee City Council meeting scheduled for May 24.
Both Friends of the Animals and the Henry County Humane Society/Kewanee have submitted bids for a three-year contract, with the option for two additional one-year extensions. The request for bids was announced by Kewanee Police Chief Nicholas Welgat in April with a deadline for responses due May 5.
The decision was expected to be decided at the city council meeting on May 10, but City Councilman Chris Colomer experienced a medical issue and left the meeting, which postponed the vote. At the time, Mayor Gary Moore called the decision to award the pound “too important to make without participation from the full council.”
Area Humane Society reaches across state lines to save at-risk dogs
SUSAN DEVILDER
The Star Courier
At the beginning of the year, the Henry County Humane Society-Kewanee began making trips to pick up dogs that were coming over the border from a Missouri rescue. The hope was to offer dogs slated for death a chance to find a new home.
“It is just so hard to believe these dogs were on death row and scheduled to be euthanized,” said Mary Bergren, a member of the HCHS-Kewanee board. “They have all been such friendly and loving dogs. They just have such a terrible situation with an overpopulation that results in these wonderful animals getting put down.”