In March, the Paws-itive Partners Humane Society of North Platte was named a beneficiary of $600,000 from the late Judge Earl Morgan’s estate.

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Morgan was a Lincoln County Judge from 1977-87. He died at age 89.

The bequest presented a quandary to the local group – what to do with it. Leaders considered building an animal sanctuary but have decided against it.

That amount of money might be enough to build a sanctuary -- barely, Paws-itive Partners President Dianne Morales said.

“If it would build it, it sure wouldn’t be enough money to maintain it,” she said. “It would never be enough until the problem is taken care of in the first place.”

The North Platte organization has decided to do what it can to eliminate the problem -- unwanted cats and dogs.

“Our mission is to stop the problem before it reaches the animal shelter,” Morales said. “We want to educate the public about what needs doing.”

"What needs doing" is to spay and neuter cats and dogs.

“Surgically altered cats and dogs don’t produce unwanted litters, are healthier and live longer lives,” Morales wrote in the group’s winter newsletter.

Prolific

Every dog that isn’t spayed or neutered could produce two litters a year, from 3-8 pups each. If a pet is adopted from the North Platte Animal Shelter and has a litter, odds are good that at least five of the litter will come back to shelter, in need of a home.

Pet overpopulation goes on and on unless owners do what needs to be done.

But neutering a pet is costly. On average, the cost is $120 or so, depending on the size and gender.

So, Paws-itive Partners dedicates some money to helping people who have a hard time coming up with the cash, using the funds from the Morgan estate and other donations.

Typically, Paws-itive Partners pays up to a third of the cost, sometimes more, for qualified low- to medium-income owners who have a pet spayed or neutered.

This is not a new project for Paws-itive Partners. The group has been working on controlling the animal population for more than 10 years.

In the first 11 months of 2009, Paws-itive Partners helped spay 216 cats and dogs.

“Actually, the number of surgeries we helped pay for is higher than this,” Morales said, “but we didn’t include the voucher program in our figures.”

Morales also offers some Christmas advice: Don’t surprise anyone with a pet for Christmas. Make sure a pet is wanted. Unwanted pets are returned to the shelter or end up abandoned.

The North Platte Paws-itive Partners Humane Society is a local group, Morales said, not funded by the national Humane Society, nor by the city. They are supported strictly through donations and fundraising efforts.

“We are a very few volunteers,” Morales said.

The group

Paws-itive Partners was formed in 1998 with the goal of educating the public about responsible pet ownership. It implements spay/neuter programs, promotes the adoption of homeless animals and supports the North Platte Animal Shelter in its efforts.

Paws-itive Partners also offers medical assistance, rescue and transports, and even once provided a bullet-proof vest for the Lincoln County Sheriff’s Office police dog.

Nice surprise

Morales said they were totally shocked when they learned about Morgan’s bequest.

“We feel very blessed,” Morales said at the time. “We were hoping that everything would work out positive and it did.”

Morgan was Lincoln County Judge from 1977-87, when he retired. He had 11 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Morgan loved horses and dogs and was very active in 4-H. He announced at Arabian, Quarterhorse, and 4-H horse shows, in which he was honored for his many years of service.

Morales said Morgan used to donate every year but in small amounts as most of their donors do. She said they knew Morgan was a dog lover but were shocked to learn he had left his considerable estate to them.

Morgan originally left even more of his estate to Paws-itive Partners. But Morgan’s children contested the will.

After months of legal wrangling, Lincoln County Judge Kent Florom settled the issue in March, splitting the assets of Morgan’s estate between the children and the animal care group.

Paws-itive Partners received $600,000 from the estimated $3.2 million estate. The rest, except for some $75,000 in legal fees, went to Morgan’s heirs.

Tim Brouillette, Paws-itive Partners attorney, said the settlement was in the best interest of all parties.