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Animal Control officers ought to be ashamed in dog's death

Re: Captured dog not part of pack, officials say, story, Nov. 5, and Officer fatally shoots feral dog, story, Nov. 4.

Pinellas County Animal Control should be ashamed and embarrassed about its handling of the dog problem in Wall Springs Park. Not only were the officers incapable of telling the difference between an elderly pet and a "feral" dog, but when faced with an opportunity to capture the pack leader, one of the officers chose to use a .22-caliber rifle instead of a tranquilizer gun.

Shouldn't our animal control officers have some kind of training in animal psychology?

Animal researchers can successfully tranquilize, capture, tag and release actual wild animals for scientific purposes, and these buffoons can't find a way to humanely capture a pack of previously owned pets.

So-called feral dogs are our responsibility

Re: Snarling canines a roving menace, story, Nov. 1.

Feral dogs? I think not!

People breed, buy or adopt dogs, and when they grow tired of them they let them go. Dogs and cats are not feral. They are domesticated.

When people fail to neuter or spay their pets, or breed their pets in their home, or continue to support pet stores when millions of animals are euthanized, the news comes up with the feral dog story but never tells how those dogs became homeless or why they travel in groups fighting for existence, which can make any being tense and angry.

People lose their jobs, get worn down and end up homeless. Happens every day. Do you round them up and kill them?

Let's ask ourselves why and how pets end up on the street and accept responsibility for human error. Come up with a compassionate solution rather than front page hysteria.

Official shows lack of respect for animals

Re: Wild dog is discovered in a daze, story, Nov. 2.

Problem animals should be handled with dignity and respect. The comment by county Animal Services Director Ken Mitchell, "I think a golf ball assisted us. I don't know if she got beaned or what, but we never complain about good timing and luck," should not come from a person in charge of overseeing animals.

Owners of dogs need to keep them in check or they will wind up in the hands of guys who say things like that.

Government's greed endangers manatees

After reading Patrick Rose's Oct. 27 column, Amendment jeopardizes manatee protections, I was furious - more furious than usual - at our government and our representatives in it.

How greedy can they get? And how much greed will they allow the developers? U.S. Reps. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., and Adam Putnam, R-Bartow, should be ashamed. And so should our governor for changing his stand on oil drilling off Florida's coast.

Manatees may not be beautiful but they are nonthreatening animals. Why not go after alligators, which are always killing domestic animals?

We need all the beauty and natural wonders that can be found in our country. We don't need war, killing and ugliness.

Take care of our land and its creatures - or they will soon be all gone.

We should let the sun set on daylight saving time

Re: Let daylight saving idea stand the test of time, column, Oct. 31.

I guess there are not enough Florida retirees to request a return to standard time year-round. Some would really enjoy an extra hour of daylight during the cooler summer mornings and an hour less daylight after a sizzling summer afternoon. Also, the old body clock would not have to adjust every few months.

Perhaps some working folks would also appreciate daylight during their early-morning drive and an earlier sunset to wind down their daily activity.

Our ancestors and some of us did fine before daylight saving time started, and I certainly would vote to opt out of this custom.

[Last modified November 10, 2005, 01:21:17]