Letters to the editor

Thank you to Shirley for writing to express your thoughts and feelings on the subject. Her first line said it all:  "I was just reading the article about all the dogs being euthanized and that is tragic."

Yes, it is tragic. It is tragic that owners feel they have no other choice than to kill their dog, whether based on advice from RDCO employees, or simply not knowing there are alternatives.

There are so many rescues out there that will try to help an owner - sure, SPCA, also Critteraid, and others. I think the RDCO should have a list of them handy for the people they serve. And if Rover just needs a little bit of training to make him adapt to city living, have a list of those trainers too.

Over the past nine years, 1,576 dogs were killed by the District. To put this in perspective, in Calgary, with over a million population, 4330 dogs were impounded in 2010, but only 5% of them were killed.

In the RDCO, with just under 185 thousand population, 750 dogs were impounded, but 15% were killed.  To say they were surrendered by owners is not an excuse, to me that actually makes it more tragic, and the gap between the RDCO and the service / understanding provided to their public that much more obvious.

There are a lot of changes that need to happen in the RDCO Animal Control Department. Bringing some stats and facts to light is only the first step. This is why we attended the RDCO meeting September 17, and this is why you and others need to be at the October 22 meeting when the consultant studying the RDCO Animal Control Department delivers his findings.

Today's family life include animals, not as pets, but as family members. They are friends. Things have to change, and change for the better.

Julia Trops