The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

In the United States, about 85 million dogs and 95 million cats are kept as pets.

That's according to the Humane Society of the United States. More than half of all U.S. families have at least one pet dog or cat.

And here's another impressive statistic: According to the American Pet Products Association (yes, of course there's such a thing), Americans spend more than $50 billion per year on cats, dogs and other com­panion animals.

But animals are different than appliances or cars. When a pet owner decides they no longer can take care of their animal, it can't just be hauled away like an old washing machine. The animal most often ends up in a shelter.

In the U.S., approximately 3,500 animal shelters take in between six and eight mil­lion cats and dogs each year. About half that many dogs and cats are adopted out by those shelters each year. Guess what happens to the other half.

Marilyn and John Stellwagon run one of those shelters in Waitsburg. They are the owners of Waitsburg Hardware and Mercan­tile, and they operate Black Dog Rescue out of their store.

In her front page story this week, Times reporter Dena Wood describes the work the Stellwagons do. In the past ten years the couple has taken in nearly 2,000 animals. And, unlike most shelters in the U.S., all of those pets have found homes.

For a community like Waitsburg, Black Dog Rescue is a hugely important as­set. Many Waitsburg and Touchet Valley residents now enjoy the love and affection of pets that were once taken in by Black Dog.

But even for many of us who aren't ready to take on a new pet (some of us already have our share), walking into the hardware store is a treat. Critters are everywhere. And what a site to see some of the locals sitting around the table there, drinking coffee with a dog or cat in their lap and a smile on their face. It's hard to say who's being helped out the most.

We salute the Stellwagons for their dedication to helping improve the lives of so many animals in and around Waitsburg. And the veterinarians in the Walla Walla area who provide discounted services to the Black Dog animals also deserve special recognition.

And we also salute all those who have tak­en in pets from Black Dog Rescue, or have donated money to help them with their work.

We encourage readers to help out Black Dog, either by adopting an animal or by do­nating money. You'll be helping an animal, and possibly a human too.