No one likes to see animals being mistreated, especially when it occurs in your own back yard.

In a complaint filed last week with the Union County Sheriff’s Office David Fant says he saw a prison inmate pressure-washing stalls at the animal shelter with dogs still inside them. He said the dogs were wet and covered in feces and several of them were terrified by the noise and water. The dogs were then left in the wet stall, which concerned Fant because of the cold weather.

A video titled “Union SC animal shelter” was placed on the youtube.com internet site last week by Robert Small, which showed water being sprayed into the kennels. Dogs can be seen in several of the kennels being cleaned.

Small also complained about the animal shelter’s operating hours, which are from 7 a.m.-4 p.m., Monday-Friday. He said they are not convenient for people wanting to adopt a dog or cat.

Fant’s complaint noted that a freezer containing the bodies of dead cats was unlocked and partially open the afternoon he was at the shelter, despite having a cinderblock on top of the lid.

Each of these complaints are legitimate and the county should take appropriate steps to correct the problems. Mistreatment of animals is unacceptable.

But the root of the problem lies with Union County’s pet owners.

Unless cats or dogs are bred for sale, they should be spayed or neutered. Several organizations in the county offer low-cost spay and neuter programs for pets.

Animals that are allowed to run free will eventually multiply, creating an overpopulation problem. Because of the potential for health hazards caused by packs of feral cats or wild dogs, these strays must be picked up and taken to an animal shelter, where they are held for five days. If an animal is adopted, the county has it spayed or neutered and the cost is passed along to the new owner.

Unfortunately, most stray animals aren’t adopted and the county is forced to euthanize them after five days. Large dogs and small cats are buried behind the shelter while bodies of larger cats are stored in a freezer for use by schools and universities. The shelter operator should make sure the freezer is locked at all times for health and safety reasons.

Animal control officer Heather Sealy is the only county employee working at the shelter. She is gone much of the day, however, answering calls. To be effective, the shelter should have at least one full-time employee on duty, while another patrols the county.

Small has offered to donate $10,000 to help pay for a new shelter, provided other businesses and citizens do likewise. A noble gesture, but perhaps unnecessary if people would show a little more responsibility for their pets.

If you have cat or dog, have it spayed or neutered. It will benefit everyone in the long run.