Monday, August 30, 2010

SUFA is inspiration for visitor to create shelter

My husband and I have been volunteer dog-walkers at Stand Up For Animals during our stays in Marathon, and the work their staff does is remarkable. We have visited shelters throughout the U.S. (including Hawaii) and St. Croix. My dream, with the help of others, was to establish an animal shelter in my home state, and that dream came true approximately two years ago.

SUFA was an inspiration to me as to how a shelter should be operated, and my hope is that our shelter can one day grow to the point that SUFA has grown. The Saturday Seven Mile Bridge walk is fantastic and something I hope our shelter can emulate in some manner.

Please do not turn control of SUFA over to the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. These animals should remain in a no-kill facility; not a facility where they will be put down when they become too much of a burden. I have personally walked Tugboat and Negra, among others, and can't imagine these sweethearts, however old, being euthanized. These animals may not have voices, but we do. I urge the powers that be not to let down the SUFA staff and, especially, the animals of SUFA.

Susan Miller

Newport, Pa.

Let SUFA run shelter until it goes out to bid

My heart sank the last time I visited the animal shelter on Stock Island. Working behind the desk was someone who had surrendered a dog there in 1998 or 1999, when I worked there as a volunteer.

[The dog] was a blonde female shepherd mix named Shadow. She was 8 years old, sweet, docile, apologetic. We volunteers campaigned in her favor, but she was put down anyway. Who adopts a rejected 8-year-old mixed-breed dog?

The reason given by her masters for bringing her to the pound was that she kept running away from home.

Old dogs are normally protective of their homes, and loyal to their masters. What does it take to make an old dog repeatedly try to escape? And why would we put our lost and rejected animals in their care?

I hear that the County Commission is contemplating putting the Middle Keys shelters under the administration of the Key West shelter personnel until new bids can be received. I shudder to think of it.

The Marathon animal shelter, under Stand Up For Animals, has been the most high-performing of all three shelter systems in terms of adoptions, spay-neuters performed and community participation. Whenever I visit the Marathon shelter, there are two or three cheery volunteers socializing the dogs.

I used to adopt from the Key West shelter, but it has become increasingly complicated. My last four adoptions were from Marathon. SUFA has been so helpful and pleasant.

Linda Gottwald left the Marathon shelter in great working condition, with wonderful personnel capable of running the shelter without outside intervention until it can go up for bids. I would beg the commissioners to leave it in their hands. Don't spoil a good thing.

Katha Sheehan

Homestead

Pretend colleges are waste of tax money

The Florida Keys are replete with hundreds of hard-working women who spend their working lives making $10-$15 per hour, and who are trapped within that pay range. If they push for an increase, they risk their jobs and they know it.

... We [recently] learned that Lydia Estenoz, who carries the title of director of workforce development, makes $74,000 per year. She was recently suspended for a week over a contested incident at her workplace, Florida Keys Community College.

Can some one tell me what a director of workforce development is? I would like to know. So too, I'm sure all the underpaid working women in the Keys would too. Whoever set up the pay scale there at FKCC must have been previously employed by the city of Bell, Calif.

The Florida Keys are not, and never will be, suitable for colleges of any level. These schools are nothing more than cash cows for second-rate educators, financed by taxpayers oblivious to their environment. It would truly be best if we, the full-time Keys residents, got real and pushed our bourgeois politicians to shut these pretend colleges down. Shut them down so we can get some tax relief!

Finally, let's not forget about the guy running the mosquito program -- $185,000 per year.

Basil Gianniotes

Long Key