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We are writing this letter because we feel responsible to provide a warning to others in Pinellas County who may be loving pet owners and want to protect their pets.
Before Hurricane Charley, our tuxedo cat, Jacob, pushed his way out of our lanai and got into our back yard, which is surrounded by an 8-foot-tall privacy fence. We thought he somehow had jumped over our fence and wandered. We were worried as the storm was coming.
We were in the midst of battening down the hatches in preparation for the hurricane when, much to our horror, we found just two paws on the ground a few feet from our pool. It took us a bit to comprehend that those paws belonged to our beloved Jacob. Upon looking for other body parts, we discovered a large hole that was dug under our fence.
Grief has filled our hearts and house ever since. We called Pinellas County Animal Control after discovering there are wild coyotes loose in the county. We learned of this from a friend after our pet was taken. The remains had definitely appeared gnawed. We suspected these coyotes had come into our back yard and taken our cat.
A supervisor at Animal Control confirmed that there had been many sightings of coyotes, but since they had "not affected" humans, Animal Control was only monitoring the situation. He told us there were no plans to deal with these wild animals and advised us to call the County Commission if we wanted anything done related to trapping these animals and taking them to a remote area.
We were stunned further by his warning that it was illegal to allow cats outside. His tone lacked compassion, and he apparently did not grasp that our cat got beyond the lanai but was still in his own back yard.
What more has to happen to get Animal Control to decide some preventive action is necessary? We searched the Web to find out more about coyote behaviors and learned that little pets are one of their favorite targets.
We don't think it should take an act of government for an agency to respond proactively, with common sense, to trap wild animals that prowl into fenced yards and eat family pets. What else would it take for Animal Control to get busy developing a plan to remove these dangerous animals? Perhaps the loss of a human baby?
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed non-skin cancer among men in America, hitting one man in six. This year more than 230,110 men will learn that they have the disease, and more than 29,900 will lose their lives to it.
The impact of prostate cancer goes beyond the men who are diagnosed, because families are devastated when they lose fathers, grandfathers, uncles and brothers. African-American families are disproportionately affected because African-American men have the highest prostate cancer incidence in the world and are twice as likely to die of the disease as other American men.
It should be remembered that the disease can strike younger men, too. About one in three prostate cancer cases occurs in men under 65 during their prime working years.
Early detection is critical to coping with this complex disease that does not have a "one size fits all" treatment regimen for diagnosed men.
It is for this reason that I am joining with the Mayors' Coalition for Prostate Cancer Awareness and Education, an initiative that emphasizes informed decisionmaking on screening and treatment.
Conducted by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, of which I am a member, the coalition is part of an overall cancer awareness program through which mayors are promoting education and early detection.
The Conference of Mayors has designated September as National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, during which men are urged to consult with their physicians, clinics, public health officials and advocacy organizations such as the American Cancer Society about prostate cancer and, whenever appropriate, get screened for the disease.
I hope that the men of Dunedin will become informed about prostate cancer and take the necessary steps to protect their health. Remember, the life you save may be your own.
Re: City didn't back mayor for clerk, story, Sept. 4.
I had to have a good chuckle listening to Brian Aungst insinuate that his landslide loss in the Aug. 31 primary election had nothing to do with his record as mayor of Clearwater.
Au contraire, Your Honor! This has everything to do with your record.
I can only tell you that the real citizens of this city are tired of hearing about your plans to bring more tourism to an already overbuilt, overcrowded beach that nobody will revisit. Or the redevelopment of a surrealistic downtown overrun by Scientologists.
You would think the rest of Clearwater doesn't exist (except for Countryside, of course). The only thing more hilarious than Jay Leno's monologue is watching reruns of the city's board meetings.
The people of Clearwater have spoken, Mayor Aungst, regardless of what you think. The rest of the City Council better listen up or start looking for new jobs soon, too.
To all of those who were responsible for clearing our neighborhood of past storm-related debris on Friday, I thank you.
What a pleasant surprise to come home (Baywood Village) and find that the entire area was picked up, including massive piles of broken limbs and entire trees.
I applaud their efforts to this end, which truly was an unexpected bonus for me and many neighbors.
I hope that the upcoming days and weeks point toward the end of all of the extra hours and duties being taken on by so many devoted workers throughout the area. Thank you, one and all.
We really appreciate the Hurricane Help Program offered at Northwood Presbyterian Church in Clearwater.
Many members voluntarily offered their homes as safe havens to those members who live in evacuation areas.
The Board of Deacons manages, matches and promotes the Hurricane Help Program.
We believe this project, where friends help friends, would be worthwhile for other churches in our area to consider.