Animals
Pet licensing isn't the way to solve this problem
I am appalled that anyone would see pets as a source of county revenue. What's next, licensing our children to raise revenue?
In a July 22 Forum ("How to kill two birds... but not another kitten"), Terri Mitchell termed people who do not spay or neuter their pets "slackers." Many people keep their pets inside where there is no danger of them being impregnated. To term someone a "slacker" because they don't want their beloved pet to undergo an elective surgery and to advocate charging them an obscene fee for not having their pet spayed or neutered is uncalled for.
While I agree that decreasing the number of unwanted pets is a laudable goal, education and funding low-cost spay and neuter programs is a much better way to do it. We also need to encourage research for an injectable pet birth control that would make surgery unnecessary.
Some other things to consider:
• Many low-income families and elderly people may be unable to afford a fee. (I realize Ms. Mitchell suggested a $2 fee for pets that are spayed or neutered, but that would hardly cover the expense of hiring people to administer the program. Also, once a tax is enacted, government lackeys have a way of raising it whenever they need extra cash.)
• Those with unlicensed pets would hesitate to seek medical care for their pets for fear of being reported.
• The cost of administering a program.
• What happens when only the "breeders" are allowed to have cats and dogs capable of reproducing and they are restricted to two litters a year? Those of us not able to afford expensive purebred cats and dogs will no longer be able to enjoy the love and companionship of a pet.
We love and treasure our "free to good home" pets. The money saved goes to their medical care and having them spayed and neutered.
Everyone, not just the rich, deserves to enjoy the love and companionship of a pet. Perhaps if Terri Mitchell and others would work on ways to make owning a pet less expensive instead of more expensive there would be fewer homeless pets.
LILLIAN (LILY) ROGERS Biloxi
- Saturday Sharing
The Jackson Count Animal Shelter is a KILL Shelter all the pets unlucky enough to be there are in danger of being euthanized so if you are looking to adopt a special friend please consider adopting one of the pets show cased in this post or another that...
- Please Spay & Neuter
Sadly the evidence of pet overpopulation is everywhere in Mississippi. 109,000 homeless dogs and cats enter shelters each year and 73,000 of them are euthanized according to the Humane Society of the US. While many pet owners would like to have their...
- Aspca Opposes Mandatory Spay And Neuter
We are glad to hear this ASPCA OPPOSES MANDATORY SPAY AND NEUTER. While we think it's a good idea to have your pet spayed or neutered we don't think it should be mandatory. We also think having low cost spay/neuter programs in place will do more...
- Help Waveland Animal Shelter Win A Shelter Makeover
If any of our friends have Zootoo accounts we would like to ask you to support Waveland Animal Shelter, for the Shelter Makeover (we are trying to get as many points as we can for the shelter). This is the shelter Fenris was adopted from. Mommy was very...
- Part 2 Of The Canadian Health System
Only 4% of American have to wait more than six months for non-elective surgeries, while 14-15% of Canadian and Britons do. I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to wait more than six months for a surgery I needed. I actually only had a few...
Animals
Lily Rogers encourages us to provide low cost spay & neuter programs
Pet licensing isn't the way to solve this problem
I am appalled that anyone would see pets as a source of county revenue. What's next, licensing our children to raise revenue?
In a July 22 Forum ("How to kill two birds... but not another kitten"), Terri Mitchell termed people who do not spay or neuter their pets "slackers." Many people keep their pets inside where there is no danger of them being impregnated. To term someone a "slacker" because they don't want their beloved pet to undergo an elective surgery and to advocate charging them an obscene fee for not having their pet spayed or neutered is uncalled for.
While I agree that decreasing the number of unwanted pets is a laudable goal, education and funding low-cost spay and neuter programs is a much better way to do it. We also need to encourage research for an injectable pet birth control that would make surgery unnecessary.
Some other things to consider:
• Many low-income families and elderly people may be unable to afford a fee. (I realize Ms. Mitchell suggested a $2 fee for pets that are spayed or neutered, but that would hardly cover the expense of hiring people to administer the program. Also, once a tax is enacted, government lackeys have a way of raising it whenever they need extra cash.)
• Those with unlicensed pets would hesitate to seek medical care for their pets for fear of being reported.
• The cost of administering a program.
• What happens when only the "breeders" are allowed to have cats and dogs capable of reproducing and they are restricted to two litters a year? Those of us not able to afford expensive purebred cats and dogs will no longer be able to enjoy the love and companionship of a pet.
We love and treasure our "free to good home" pets. The money saved goes to their medical care and having them spayed and neutered.
Everyone, not just the rich, deserves to enjoy the love and companionship of a pet. Perhaps if Terri Mitchell and others would work on ways to make owning a pet less expensive instead of more expensive there would be fewer homeless pets.
LILLIAN (LILY) ROGERS Biloxi
- Saturday Sharing
The Jackson Count Animal Shelter is a KILL Shelter all the pets unlucky enough to be there are in danger of being euthanized so if you are looking to adopt a special friend please consider adopting one of the pets show cased in this post or another that...
- Please Spay & Neuter
Sadly the evidence of pet overpopulation is everywhere in Mississippi. 109,000 homeless dogs and cats enter shelters each year and 73,000 of them are euthanized according to the Humane Society of the US. While many pet owners would like to have their...
- Aspca Opposes Mandatory Spay And Neuter
We are glad to hear this ASPCA OPPOSES MANDATORY SPAY AND NEUTER. While we think it's a good idea to have your pet spayed or neutered we don't think it should be mandatory. We also think having low cost spay/neuter programs in place will do more...
- Help Waveland Animal Shelter Win A Shelter Makeover
If any of our friends have Zootoo accounts we would like to ask you to support Waveland Animal Shelter, for the Shelter Makeover (we are trying to get as many points as we can for the shelter). This is the shelter Fenris was adopted from. Mommy was very...
- Part 2 Of The Canadian Health System
Only 4% of American have to wait more than six months for non-elective surgeries, while 14-15% of Canadian and Britons do. I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to wait more than six months for a surgery I needed. I actually only had a few...