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© St. Petersburg Times, published May 15, 2000
Editor: I disagree with the Ridge Road extension. We have no water now, and it would be good to give wildlife a half-a-chance. Do we need to encourage another development?
My biggest gripe: Where were DOT and all the powers that be when they put another 2 inches -- or was it 20 inches? -- on State Road 52 a couple years ago. It should have been four-laned at that time. Now they have the gall to come back and say it's congested. Please.
-- Gene Hills, Hudson
Re: Race winner should be charitable about prize, April 25 letter.
-- Editor: I just have to reply to the letter castigating the "winner" of the grand prize in the Pasco Chasco Fiesta's Rubber Duck Race.
I was one of the lucky people who was offered a ride in the prize Jeep but after learning the passenger seat wasn't securely fastened, I turned it down. The Jeep was a good example of Ralph Nader's "unsafe at any speed."
We can arrange a ride for the letter writer whenever she's ready, as long as she signs a release.
As for the generosity of the donor, I think that may be the wrong term. The good feeling they got would be the deduction on their income tax.
The writer's statement about not looking a gift horse in the mouth was very apt, but a horse might have been more reliable transportation.
The writer did not mention that the next prize was $1,000 and second prize was two tickets anywhere in the United States. Both would have been more acceptable than a road hazard Jeep.
Ginny Smith, New Port Richey
Editor: Why did you choose to give free advertising to a pet shop by printing a "cute" picture of the pups on the front page of the Pasco Times May 9?
The animals sold in pet shops are the products of puppy mills. Puppy mill dogs are nothing more than breeding machines, kept in small, dirty cages with little or no human contact and inadequate food, water and medical care. If you ever saw and smelled a puppy mill, I guarantee you would be sick to your stomach. The only way to shut them down is to stop buying their product. Puppies from puppy mills frequently have congenital and medical problems caused by the conditions in which they were born. They are not screened for any health problems, causing heartbreak for people who buy them.
Pet shops will not tell prospective buyers about special requirements that different breeds have. They will not tell you that the adorable Chihuahua pups in your picture are very fragile and not good pets for families with small children because the dogs are easily injured. They will not tell you that some breeds require an extreme amount of physical exercise or have certain instincts that, if not understood and corrected, will cause major problems for the owners, often causing the dogs to be killed or abandoned at shelters. They won't help you determine if a particular breed is a good fit with your lifestyle. All they want to do is get your money.
A reputable breeder will have done genetic testing on his or her dogs and will not knowingly breed dogs who will pass on genetic problems and illnesses to their offspring. The breeder will help you decide if the breed is right for you and will take a dog back, with no questions asked, for the life of the dog. You won't get your money back, but you won't be faced with killing a dog or turning it over to animal control because you can't keep it. You may even pay less for a healthy, genetically and temperamentally sound pet from a reputable breeder than you will pay for an animal from a pet shop.
I am involved with Australian Cattle Dog breed rescue, and both of my dogs were rescued. At least 90 percent of the dogs that come to breed rescue were originally purchased at pet shops. Breed rescue organizations take in unwanted animals who would otherwise be killed and find new homes for them. The dogs have all their shots, are spayed or neutered and are happy, healthy dogs with known temperaments. Rescue dogs are eligible for ILP registration and can compete in all AKC events except for the breed ring. Breed rescue also will help you decide if a dog is right for you and will take a dog back at any time, no questions asked. The adoption fee for a rescue dog is very reasonable, much less than the cost of one year's worth of vet visits, shots and spaying or neutering your pet shop puppy. So, before you pay hundreds or even thousands of dollars for a pet shop puppy, please consider adopting a rescue. Take a rescue into your heart. You won't be sorry.
-- Claire R. Frisbee, Port Richey
Editor: Longtime defender and crusader of Sheriff Cannon, we had bets to see how long it would take for you to grind your ax. Once again you reached a new low in your biased and personal attacks regarding Jim Gillum's candidacy for sheriff. Why? I would like to know how it feels to use your position for personal gain; maybe your readers would like to know the truth why you took such a position.
As sheriff of Pasco County it was Gillum's duty and obligation not to look the other way, as it is with the current sheriff. Your intentions are extremely obvious, which is keeping Jim Gillum out of office at all costs for your own personal reasons. Gillum has always been an aggressive sheriff first, and a friend second, which obviously frightens you. In the past he has put local politicians in jail and friends of politicians, and has investigated all complaints that have come into the Sheriff's Office. No one is above the law, including the media.
It's obvious that you're in the business of fixing elections, which is evidenced by what you refuse to put in print. Why is it that you don't inform your readers about Gillum's opponents' transgressions? You continue to attack Jim Gillum and his former co-worker who is not even here to defend herself. She was a kind and loving human being and law-abiding resident. However, you continue to distort his relationship with her for your benefit.
You're such a phony. In one breath, you advise your readers not to vote for Sheriff Cannon because he lied to residents regarding his scare tactics and inflated numbers for more deputies. However, now you defend him. You speak of percentages in the last election, but you fail to mention that it was a Democratic year from the White House on down. It's time we got rid of the do-nothing demagogues and leave our personal baggage where it belongs. After all, this was the stance the media took with our playboy president, Bill Clinton.
-- Gloria Gennaro, Hudson