*****************************
Welcome to Marshall Texas
( beware of uncontrolled packs of dogs)
******************
By Ron Munden – January 5, 2024
Over the past two years I have seen real progress in Marshall – particularly in the downtown area. I am happy to see the 30-40ish people step up and ”lead the charge.”
Of course Marshall, like most small towns, still has its share of problems.
In the last couple of months I have seen many complaints about “out-of-control packs of dogs” posted on social media. Complains about these dogs killing cats, attacking other animals and Marshall citizens feeling unsafe walking the streets of Marshall.
Normally I don’t believe much that I see posted on social media but when I saw well respected people expressing their frustration and helplessness about this problem, it got my attention. I contacted these people. I was quickly convinced this is a real and widespread problem. Also, from these people’s perspective nothing is being done about the problem.
Why does Marshall have this problem?
In my opinion the root cause for the problem is Marshall has too many irresponsible dog owners. They don’t control their dogs and they refuse to spay and neuter their animals. So these people contribute to today’s problem and they ensure that the problem will persist into the future. At least in the short term, you can’t expect these people to be part of the solution.
I expect by now many people are saying “Make the Animal Control Office do its job.” Animal Control is doing their best but the office is grossly understaffed. The office has three people. Towns the size of Marshall often have staffs at least three times that size. Let’s not forget Marshall’s population is about 23,000 people. As I recall the total population of Harrison County is about 60,000 people. Marshall’s animal control office is responsible for the entire county. If you seriously think 3 people can solve this problem, I suggest adding the tagline, “Dog Pack USA” to the Marshall welcome sign.
Marshall citizens are frustrated and feeling helpless for good reason. Some have mentioned poisoning and/or shooting these pack animals.
I am against that solution. Poisoning often gets the wrong animal. While I personally would have no problem shooting a pack of dogs terrorizing a neighborhood. I don’t think it’s a practical solution in the city.
I don’t have any magic answers but I do have one. Who is the person responsible for fixing this problem?
The person responsible for fixing this problem and being held responsible if the problem is not fixed is the City Manager.
I do not know Marshall’s City Manager. I have never talked to him. My comments are not directed at the person. They are directed at the position of City Manager.
My approach to problem solving is based on 32 years of working for the Navy. I have seen it work.
The Navy tradition is: The person in charge of an organization is responsible for fixing every problem in the organization. He cannot delegate responsibility. He cannot wash his hands of the problem. He owns the problem. As leader of the organization, he can direct everyone in the organization to work on the problem. He can assign task leaders. He can do many things. What he can’t do is transfer ownership of the problem to another person. By virtue of his position he owns the problem.
So there is no question about who the citizens of Marshall should contact. It is the City Manager. If a citizen is truly concerned about this problem they should call the City Manager, send him a letter, write him an email, and attend the next City Commission meeting. Let your body be seen and your voice be heard if you wish to speak.
If the City Manager already has a plan of action and a timeline for the plan, he should share it with the public now. The people I have spoken with are unaware of a plan.
If there is no plan of action, the City Manager should Chair a small task force to develop a plan of action with dates and share the plan with Marshall’s citizens within two weeks.
As a footnote:
More than 50% of the animals that end up in Marshall’s shelter come from people living in the County, not the City. The County contributes $30,000 to support the shelter. That is a fraction of what it costs to run the shelter.
Perhaps, the County should increase their funding for Marshall’s shelter. Or if the County can operate a shelter more efficiently, they could operate their own shelter and the City’s shelter could be restricted to Marshall citizens only.
***********************************
—————————————————————–
Click here to go the the EastTexasExposed.com website
Click here to go to the iExposed.us website
—————————————————————–
EastTexasExposed.com
P.O. Box 721
Scottsville Texas
75688
iEXPOSED.us Blog 
