Friday, February 5, 2010

Two county ordinances ensure animal welfare

I'd like to take a moment to inform people of two relatively new and unknown laws that will ensure a very good year for animals in Monroe County. The first, County Ordinance 4.70, restricts the chaining of dogs. The second, County Ordinance 022-2006, requires anyone breeding a cat or dog to pay a litter registration fee of $50.

Why are these laws so important for our community? In addition to protecting dogs from the inherent cruelty of life on a chain, the ordinance also protects the public, as it is well documented that chained dogs are far more likely to become aggressive. Nature gives animals a fight-or-flight instinct -- and since a chained dog cannot flee, the only alternative when frightened is to attack.

When enforcing this law, our animal control officers often hear the argument that a dog must be chained because the caretaker does not have a yard. The ordinance allows a warning for a first-time violation as well as a 30-day period to make other provisions for the animal. This law also accommodates common sense -- if you are dashing into public locations for a period of less than 15 minutes, an animal may be temporarily tethered outside.

A stroll though our county's packed animal shelters can verify why we ask breeders to pay a registration fee. There are simply too many animals without homes, including purebreds. This time, the argument is usually, "I have a right to do what I want with my animals," or "I'm not a professional breeder; this was an accident."

Either way, the result is more animals poured into an already overflowing system. Breeding animals, intentionally or not, adds to the cost of animal control; hence the registration fee.

I am extremely proud of our county for enacting humane and progressive legislation that will ensure a brighter future for both pets and people.

Linda Gottwald

Stand Up for Animals

Marathon

Market's trust doesn't extend to everybody

In response to Virginia Altobello's letter regarding her treatment at Fausto's. I am glad they extended her credit 35 years ago because last year they would not accept my local check for less than $50 for groceries. I had plenty of identification -- a Florida ID (I went to the trouble to get) plus my Louisiana driver's license. I usually use cash, but that day I did not have enough cash on me. I am a seasonal resident, own a townhouse in Truman Annex and went to the trouble of opening a checking account at a local bank. I was told I was not approved to write a check and the cashier had an attitude about it.

I was humiliated and would never have gone back except for my husband, who did go back. He got the groceries and talked with someone who said they were sorry. It was some computer problem.

I feel they owed me an apology and someone should have called me personally.

So much for trust from this grocery. However, maybe the Weekleys were never made aware of this and had they been, the outcome may have been totally different.

Sandra Vizzini

Key West

Madisonville, La.

President wants to be a dictator like Chavez

Thirty-five years ago, when I was studying to become a U.S. citizen, I learned that the government was formed by three branches: the executive, the legislative and the judicial. The executive enforces the laws and now, after watching President Obama's State of the Union address, I came to the conclusion that he wants to be another dictator like the Castro brothers and Hugo Chavez. He had the audacity and arrogance with members of the Supreme Court just a few feet away, to state that they made the wrong decision and urged the legislators to right the wrong.

I guess that from now on, he will tell the country that we don't need the judicial branch of the government, that since he knows everything and is qualified to decide what is right and what is wrong, he will be in charge of making those decisions.

This does not surprise me because Mr. Obama has a number of socialists that praise Chairman Mao around him, and at least one communist who was forced to resign his position after his alliance was uncovered by Glenn Beck. This is the way that communists dictators govern.

Diego L Caso

Key West