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There are many people in Dallas County who have made a difference by dedicating themselves to a humanitarian cause. Lynn and Gus Payton are two of them. They operate a private shelter for cats and direct the operation of the Buffalo City Pound. They demonstrate a level of responsibility and care for stray dogs and cats. Over 1000 animals are abandoned every year in the Buffalo City limits. Because of Lynn and Gus’ efforts, some 900 dogs and cats find homes every year.
It wasn’t always like that. Lynn began at the pound as a volunteer in 1993. She saw that there was a real need with the pound only having three pens and no roof or dog runs. They received over 1,000 animals every year and couldn’t care for them. They had to send them off to Springfield to be euthanized (killed).
Lynn, a volunteer at the time, was not an animal control person. She worked at the pound and recalled tearfully, “I had worked with the dogs for over a month, and every time we loaded the dogs I knew I was putting them on the truck to die. I just couldn’t do that anymore. I had to intervene, and so now we are a no-kill facility.” The pound has been a no-kill facility since 1996. “Without the community support, there is no guarantee to be a no-kill pound.”
Lynn owns a private shelter called the Home For Life Cat Sanctuary. Until October of 2002, the Buffalo Pound provided all the funds for food, litter boxes, cages and carriers that came from the Cat Sanctuary. Now, they get donations from Wal-mart, Sam’s and other businesses for food.
Presently, the Buffalo City Pound finds adoption for 900 animals a year. Their facility holds up to 30 animals. Mary Jane and Warren Newton organize the 14 volunteers at the pound and have monthly meetings. “With the economy having difficulty,” Mary Jane said, “the adoption of animals is down and the abandonment is up.”
When asked how they receive the animals Mary Jane said that many are dropped off after hours. She recounts one story of her experience driving home from Bolivar. She had taken the back roads and was enjoying the beautiful spring colors. She noticed along the road ahead of her there appeared to be a group of small black objects like birds in the road. As she came nearer, she saw that there were six little black kittens lying in the road. As she got out of her car and put the kittens in the back, she had the thought that she may have indeed passed the people who had dropped them off. Arriving home, she told her husband, Warren about them and they had more animals to care for.
Anyone can volunteer. “Just show up,” she replied. “There is an age requirement.”
The Buffalo City Pound serves animals from the Buffalo City Limits. There are plans to serve a larger area. To meet the present needs would require tearing down the existing rat-infested facility and build a larger, cleaner, and safer pound. Estimates for the project are around $40,000 including support from the community with concrete and labor.
In support of the Buffalo City Pound and their efforts, the College of Metaphysics is giving them a third of the proceeds of the presentation of The Invitation. The play begins at 7 pm, Saturday, August 15 and admission is $10/person, $20 for a family. The Lebanon Humane society will also benefit from this performance.
The School of Metaphysics is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit education and service organization that have been teaching personal responsibility and community support for decades. The Invitation is a play about the thoughts of eight Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. These people, through their own humanitarian efforts enriched the lives of the community and world around them. It contains their thoughts about peace from their acceptance speeches and from an extraordinary document called the Universal Peace Covenant. It speaks of responsibility, care, concern, and compassion, for all of life. One of the laureates prayed for the safety and protection of all animals. He developed a philosophy called “Reverence for Life.” His name was Albert Schweitzer, 1952 Nobel Peace Laureate.
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