Do you ‘love’ or do you ‘LOVE!’
To the editor:
I have come to the conclusion that voluntary spay-neuter (S-N) is not getting, and will never get, the job done.
By now everyone has heard ad nauseam from numerous animal authorities that S-N is the only humane way to control the pet population and to ensure millions of unwanted dogs and cats don’t have to be euthanized yearly. The results so far? Millions still have to be killed every year through no fault of their own. Conclusion? A law requiring S-N is required to force all animal owners to do the right thing, not only for their pets, but for all the unwanted offspring that would otherwise follow.
It’s amazing to me the number of otherwise intelligent people who profess love for their pets, yet opt not to do the right thing for them because they don’t have the money for it right now. They say this while owning a nice property, a vehicle or two, computers, laptops, scads of software, DVDs, CDs, RVs, ATVs, cycles, snowmobiles, videogames — well, you get the picture. We “afford” what is important to us. If a person owns several of the items listed, yet can’t find the wherewithal to S-N their “family member”, then in my mind their “loved one” is really not all that important to them.
Let’s get real here. We’re not talking about a $50,000 procedure that human hospitals would charge. We are literally talking about the cost of one videogame; $45 for a male dog/cat, $65 for a female dog/cat. There are blessed few people who can’t afford this amount for something that’s truly important to them; especially for something they claim to love. For the 5 percent who actually may have a real monetary problem — those who don’t own tons of other items — help is available through Help ME.
Bottom line: Until people stop thinking of their pets as just another piece of property that can wait for maintenance, we will have millions of unwanted dogs and cats, shelters full to overflowing and, worst of all, euthanasia of millions annually. If S-N was mandatory and violation cost pet owners at least triple the cost of S-N — surprise, surprise, surprise — this simple, routine, inexpensive procedure would be suddenly “affordable.”
Do we really LOVE our pets? If so, we should put their needs above our wants. Every time a family pet has a litter — say seven new little ones — they’re either sent immediately to a shelter, or they’re given to seven new pet owners who otherwise would have adopted from a shelter. Instead of seven unwanted pets from a shelter finding new families, you’re adding seven more as yet unwanted pets. Instead of being part of the answer, you’re part of the problem — a big part!
We need a law and it needs to have teeth in it to stop this relentless, cruel cycle.
Clare Kierstead
Presque Isle
