Several irate people, especially Sammy, have, over time, asked me to write about our local dog pound and how hard it is to adopt a pet from there. I stayed away from this subject until now that a tally sheet from the pound was delivered to me, which shows the grand total for the year 2010 of animals and their fates. The tally is as follows:
Adult dogs adopted—17; transferred—61; died in captivity—13; sent to the gas—1601; reclaimed by owners—125; escaped—0.
Puppies adopted—34; transferred—20; died in captivity—28; put to death—1802; reclaimed—19; escaped—1. I can assure you that cats and kittens fared no better.
Ken Vickers
Man’s Best Friend?
I hardly know what to say here. Of all dogs, puppies, cats and kittens sent to the local pound only 66 were adopted, 104 were transferred, 64 died in captivity, 5485 were euthanized, 155 were reclaimed, and 1 escaped.
I know that many people are uncaring of their animals and should not have pets in the first place if they are not going to take care of them, but why make it so difficult to adopt an animal that is about to be put to death?
To be fair, maybe the pound is doing the best it can, but what difference does it make if my pal, Sammy, has a few misdemeanors, talks too much, and has such bad luck that no one in their right mind will fish with him? Is that any reason to not let him adopt a pet? If I were a dog in our local pound, I would rather take my chances with Sammy than the death chamber because there is an outside chance he would take me fishing with him at least once before I fell out of the boat and drowned.
Just as I was about to get down on the whole human race, my friend, Rev. Curtis Mears, came by with a 10 year old boy, Matthew, who had been in foster care along with several other children, but then he and all the others were adopted by his foster parents. I welcomed them into my home and I want you to know that little boy’s eyes went wide with excitement. I could see every tooth in his head because he was smiling from ear to ear. I explained the different snake hides on my wall and the arrowhead collection. Then, Curtis and Matthew borrowed my Kubota and went to survey the deer stand where they will try their luck in a few days.
I suppose PETA would approve of the pound, but I am certain they would not approve of Matthew shooting his first deer. I hope it is a buck. I’ll send PETA a picture.
Matthew is one of the lucky ones in that he is in the care of fine, dedicated people who want the best for him and are giving him the love and discipline that all children crave and deserve.
Now if only the pound would let Sammy do the same for a dog.
I know that many people are uncaring of their animals and should not have pets in the first place if they are not going to take care of them, but why make it so difficult to adopt an animal that is about to be put to death?
To be fair, maybe the pound is doing the best it can, but what difference does it make if my pal, Sammy, has a few misdemeanors, talks too much, and has such bad luck that no one in their right mind will fish with him? Is that any reason to not let him adopt a pet? If I were a dog in our local pound, I would rather take my chances with Sammy than the death chamber because there is an outside chance he would take me fishing with him at least once before I fell out of the boat and drowned.
Just as I was about to get down on the whole human race, my friend, Rev. Curtis Mears, came by with a 10 year old boy, Matthew, who had been in foster care along with several other children, but then he and all the others were adopted by his foster parents. I welcomed them into my home and I want you to know that little boy’s eyes went wide with excitement. I could see every tooth in his head because he was smiling from ear to ear. I explained the different snake hides on my wall and the arrowhead collection. Then, Curtis and Matthew borrowed my Kubota and went to survey the deer stand where they will try their luck in a few days.
I suppose PETA would approve of the pound, but I am certain they would not approve of Matthew shooting his first deer. I hope it is a buck. I’ll send PETA a picture.
Matthew is one of the lucky ones in that he is in the care of fine, dedicated people who want the best for him and are giving him the love and discipline that all children crave and deserve.
Now if only the pound would let Sammy do the same for a dog.
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