Sunday, October 12, 2008

Pet Peeve

An oddity occurred in the headlines this morning . The Spokesman Review above the fold headline was Best friends, big bucks and the Coeur d'Alene Press led with KHS (Kootenai Humane Society) holding firm to no-kill policy .

The thrust of each article touches on attitudes of two cities divided by a state line. The Spokane article talks of how technologies for fighting human disease and disablement are becoming more available and affordable for pets. The other, in addressing a boom in our cat population bemoans that enough of them aren't being killed. Including comments from a former director of the humane society to a county commissioner up for re-election to an animal control officer.

I know a lot of you are animal lovers. One of my favorite bloggers just lost his beloved Rufus. I had a lump in my throat while writing him a personal note even though I have never met him. I judge people more on how they feel about animals and how they treat them than anything else. There is absolutely nothing I would not do for that old guy in the picture. And there was no stone left unturned for any of his predecessors.

We have been fortunate to have had the means to take the best possible care of our pets. That, however, does not seem to me to be the point. It's attitude. I don't care if it's a cat or a rat, it is a living breathing being; not merely a possession - or a wild thing that has no value. It's life should not be abused nor ended because it becomes an inconvenience.

I was elated when KHS hired it's current director. The attitude of the former director is one reason why he is no longer at the helm. As for animal control, what can I say? Technically, death is a type of control.

I know this over population of cats is an issue. But rather than addressing it and trying to solve it, the death option is far more convenient and cost efficient. This type of thinking is one reason, among others that indicate a similar mind set, that the commissioner will not get my vote.

The Coeur d'Alene area keeps getting mentioned in magazines as being such a great place to live. It may be for the wealthy who can still afford their summer places on the lake and the medical and legal communities. Other than that it is not a wealthy area, the economy died along with the timber industry and it is not the destination tourist community one is led to believe. It is an area divided by political acrimony and for good reason.

Yeah. I know. Sour grapes. It's true. Hub and I knew after a few short weeks we had made a mistake. We don't "fit" and we never will. We're stuck for the time being, until the economy turns around. Then there will be another house on the market. No, it's not on the lake. We don't fit in that financial category. But we have nearly five acres, fenced; plenty of room for your pets to run.

If you want to bring them.

4 comments:

Sylvia K said...

I truly hurt for all the animals that are so abused or abandoned or just neglected. All I can think of is, what if it were Sam? He's my Minature Schnauzer and then there's Mojo, my son's Chesapeake Bay Retreiver -- the two of them pretty much rule both of our lives and we wouldn't have it any other way. And I do love the picture of yours! Know you'll be glad to Idaho! Hey, come back to Washington!

Anonymous said...

We, too, are animal lovers and it is one of the many reasons we find Palin so repulsive after learning about her penchant for shooting helpless wolves from airplanes.

Our previous dog had diabetes and he required twice daily insulin injections, thrice daily feedings, and regular walks in the morning and evening. We rearranged our lives so one of his could be home or get home quickly in order to keep him healthy.

He was an abandoned dog and yet he had the sweetest, most loyal personality of any dog we've known.

He died more than 5 years ago and we still miss him. The world would be a much less interesting place if not for our beloved pets.

Word Tosser said...

We got Rokon the cat from the animal shelter... and we are her staff... we have gotten far more out of her, than she has us... well maybe it is a tied..

Then most times as I sit here at the computer... I have dos... d.o.s. is dog on shoulder... as she lays across my one shoulder as I type...

We would be lost without either one of these girls and we are THEIR staff...

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link back to Rufus. For eight years, he was my constant companion everywhere we went... in fact, I was the "guy with Rufus" rather than my own person. It would have been easy to become jealous of his fame and friends, but he loved everyone. He made my life richer than I could possibly deserve and hopefully, I gave back as much in return.

One thing is almost certain; he is looking own and howling and laughing at the antics of this election! http://www.dogwalkblog.com