To the editor: Los Angeles’ misguided campaign to label metropolis animal shelters “no kill” has turned out precisely the best way that wrestle often does — with overwhelmed shelter employees, unhealthy circumstances and animals being turned away and left to endure. (“Shelter animals haven’t been walked in weeks. Let the canine out now,” editorial, Aug. 19)
There’s a parable about no-kill insurance policies that goes like this:
Think about you’re strolling by a river and also you see a kitten floating previous. After all, you leap in and save the kitten. One other floats by, and also you save that one too. However one other and one other and one other are coming at you, and also you quickly notice which you could’t save all of them. Do you keep within the water, struggling? Or do you get out, run upstream and determine who’s throwing kittens into the river so you may cease them?
Implement L.A.’s spay-neuter ordinance. As a result of the one humane approach to be a no-kill metropolis is to first be a no-birth one.
Sasha Moldavsky, Los Angeles
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To the editor: It breaks my coronary heart to see and examine overcrowded animal shelters. The animals haven’t any fault on this state of affairs.
It’s our fault as folks for not being educated sufficient. The principle purpose canine find yourself within the shelter is as a result of homeowners can not afford meals, coaching and different requirements. If solely veterinary care and different providers had been extra available, shelter overcrowding could be much less of an issue.
Moreover, many individuals purchase canine from a breeder pondering {that a} shelter canine will probably be aggressive. Whereas adopting a canine may be very time consuming and requires persistence, in actuality the one purpose most shelter animals could appear aggressive is as a result of they aren’t used to being out or walked. Sadly, shelter staff typically don’t care sufficient to stroll the animals, which is why adoption and fostering are such pressing wants.
So, earlier than getting a canine, educate your self and take into account serving to a shelter animal get a second probability at life.
Dayanara Lopez, Orange
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To the editor: I’ve been very excited to see The Instances’ elevated protection of town of Los Angeles’ animal shelters. Your reporting sheds mild on what we as rescuers have recognized for all too lengthy: The shelter system in Los Angeles is damaged.
I appreciated the editorial saying that high quality of life have to be maximized for shelter pets, however your assertion that shelters don’t kill animals to unencumber area doesn’t inform the entire story.
Los Angeles has reached the 90% save fee threshold wanted to have the no-kill designation. Whereas some motion has been made solely to kill aggressive or sick animals and nonetheless meet the no-kill designation, rescuers like myself have seen that these markers are subjective and typically might even be used inaccurately or swiftly, permitting L.A. animal shelters to place its knowledge in a extra optimistic mild.
Elisa Morse, Los Angeles
