Shocked!

I was shocked at the letter from Nanette Smith of Princeton about Friends Of Strays shelter. How dare she say that FOS needs to be run more like a business and workers should keep their emotions out of it!  To say that she is an animal lover is quite unbelievable because no true animal lover would have such reproach for a place like FOS that is trying help save animals (not hoard) that people have abused, neglected and/or abandoned. To say that they need to be more responsible is absurd, since they are taking responsibility for all those people out there who see animals as objects; those who do not spay or neuter and allow the animals to run loose; those who chain a dog outside for the duration of its life and think they are providing a loving home; those that no longer want to take care of a pet once it is no longer an adorable puppy or kitten or when it is old and needs care; those that do not see an animal as part of their family but rather an amusement that can be dumped when its too much work. 

FOS sees the worst examples of human behavior inflicted on animals, so is it any wonder they are hesitant to just sell them as fast as they can to whomever has the money to pay? It is naive to think that everyone who goes to a shelter is a wonderful pet owner ... its just not true. It is responsible of FOS to make prospective adopters go through a few hoops to get an animal as well they should with all the abuse that is abundant in our society. 

All shelters are not as responsible as FOS. Some do not do a background check, and often those animals are sold to medical research, used in the fur industry (the cruelest of industries that sells fur calling it “mink” when in reality its probably cat or dog that has been skinned alive, literally), or used as bait in dog fights, all at the expense of innocent life. 

FOS is getting more crowded because people are dumping animals they feel they don’t want to take care of any more. The economy has a lot to do with that, just ask the Salvation Army. They have a much larger budget then FOS and they are still asking for donations. Does Ms. Smith feel they too are being poorly run? It seems that because FOS did not approve her application that she is spreading this venom about an organization that we should be thanking our lucky stars we have in our community. As long as people are irresponsible with and cruel toward animals, we will need a place like FOS. I expect they will be around for a very long time indeed. The author was correct about one thing though, something does need to be done;  some people should endeavor to become more informed on issues before becoming so vocal.