(originally published in the Dallas News)
Letter from Carrollton
12:00 AM CDT on Friday, June 20, 2008
All we have to do to get our blood pressure up these days is to look at the prices we are paying at the pump. This is bad enough, but we are also paying higher prices for just about anything we buy that is trucked in. The ones who might be paying the ultimate price are the dogs and cats being turned in at our local shelters and humane societies.
People are losing their homes, having to move in with other family members and the pets that were once a part of their families are now being surrendered. We are just beginning kitten season, and more puppies are born all the time. People are not coming to the shelters to adopt these animals. When you don't know how you are going to pay to fill up your tank, you are not likely to take on the expense of a new pet.
You cannot imagine how I feel when I tell the lady who is bringing in her cat or a fellow humane officer, begging us to take some of the animals whose time is up, that we cannot accept any more animals because we are just too full. I agonize for the animal service officer whom I just said "no" to, as she or he looks for the last time into the beautiful eyes of that puppy or kitten that they are about to give back to God.
It might be wise for the Dallas City Council to adopt the proposed new animal ordinances that are about to go before them.
Sandra Laird, director of animal care, Operation Kindness Animal Shelter, Carrollton
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