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Heartbroken pet owner responds to Schwarzenegger plan to accelerate shelter killing
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Lost and homeless shelter animals must beat the odds -- and their fears -- to find a home. Governor Schwarzenegger's plan to speed up shelter killing makes those odds virtually insurmountable Photo: Los Angeles Times
In an outpouring of angry and desperate comments to last week’s story about Gov. Schwarzenegger’s renewal of his 2004 bid to cut state-mandated holding periods before animals can legally be killed in government-run shelters, one reader's response stands out.
In one stark sentence, a reader who identifies him or herself only as “ld” pleads with the Governor:
“Please don't do this it is inhumane my dog is missing and I still have hopes in finding her but if you do this I will never find her, pls have a heart.”
Almost every pet owner has felt the fear of a dog or cat gone missing. A careless roommate, an oblivious child, a visiting plumber or cleaning lady – all it takes is one door ajar for one second and a beloved companion could be gone forever. Of course, a collar with current tags and a microchip can improve your chances of finding your dog or cat, but collars come off and despite the fact that government-run shelters are required to check for a microchip, it has been alleged that this is not regularly done, at least in local County shelters.
my dog is missing and I still have hopes in finding her if you do this I will never find her...
Pet search experts tell us the number one mistake owners make in looking for a lost pet is stopping the search too soon. In addition, pets often inexplicably turn up many miles from home. Even a conscientious owner's search of area shelters can take weeks.
If Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to save money by cutting shelter hold times in half succeeds, even the tiny window currently available to frantic owners to find their lost and frightened pet will essentially disappear.
In less than a week Pascal felt confident enough to let his sunny side emerge. Under Schwarzenegger's plan thousands of lost and homeless pets would die before they had that chance Photo: Vi Logan
We should also remember that lost pets are only part of this tragic equation. One of the friendliest dogs I ever met was rescued by a man who saw the small terrier mix thrown into the street from a moving car. He picked up the terrified dog and brought him to a local private shelter. The dog, understandably stressed and scared, was initially tense and snappy with shelter staff. After a couple of days he realized he was safe and wasn’t likely to be abused. Now named Pascal, the dog relaxed, warmed up to staff, and became a wiggly, enthusiastic bundle of kisses who spent half his walks chasing after errant leaves and flinging himself on his back to have his belly rubbed. His true, loving personality revealed, he soon found an adoring family to call his own.
But if Governor Schwarzenegger’s plan to cut shelter hold times to a scant three days had succeeded when he initially proposed it (and was rebuffed by voters) in 2004, and if Pascal’s rescuer had brought him to a government-run shelter, he would have been classified as aggressive simply because he was scared. Before he'd even had a chance to relax and feel safe he would have been killed. A perfectly sweet, healthy young dog would have been killed for being scared.
To let Governor Schwarzenegger know how you feel about his proposal to cut shelter hold times and accelerate the killing of lost and homeless animals you can email him here, or get phone contact info here
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