Letter of the week, 1/26/09: Who will provide for the animals?

[David]

Pet welfare
Editor:

Our pets give us nothing but unconditional love and joy, so let us return the favor by giving the Meriden Humane Society the full revenue of the billboard to be placed on its property. Many pets are being abandoned because of the bad economy. They don’t understand why they aren’t with their families anymore but scared and alone in a cage.

How wonderful it would be if the Meriden Humane Society could open a pet food bank so families won’t be forced to abandon their pets at the Society because they can’t afford to feed them. No parent should have to tell their child that they have to get rid of their pet because they have no food.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if the Society could sponsor spay/neuter and pet welfare clinics to assist families who can’t afford to take their pets to the vet? What a way to bring our community together.

The revenue from the billboard will help thousands of abused, neglected and abandoned animals find their forever homes. Let’s help the Society continue its great and needed work by giving them the full income from the billboard.
HOLLIS M. REDDING, MERIDEN

[iwantwallingfordbetter]

50 percent of the people who have a pet should not....most can't take care of their kids or themselves let along pets....

[Meridenborn]

Pet welfare
Editor:

Our pets give us nothing but unconditional love and joy, so let us return the favor by giving the Meriden Humane Society the full revenue of the billboard to be placed on its property. Many pets are being abandoned because of the bad economy. They don’t understand why they aren’t with their families anymore but scared and alone in a cage.

How wonderful it would be if the Meriden Humane Society could open a pet food bank so families won’t be forced to abandon their pets at the Society because they can’t afford to feed them. No parent should have to tell their child that they have to get rid of their pet because they have no food.

Wouldn’t it be awesome if the Society could sponsor spay/neuter and pet welfare clinics to assist families who can’t afford to take their pets to the vet? What a way to bring our community together.

The revenue from the billboard will help thousands of abused, neglected and abandoned animals find their forever homes. Let’s help the Society continue its great and needed work by giving them the full income from the billboard.
HOLLIS M. REDDING, MERIDEN

Nice letter, but I thought the letter by Gil Alwang on the same page today was much better. Mr. Alwang described his views on why the 300 acres on Cathole Mountain should be preserved. His letter was hard-hitting about the eyesore we have left our grandchildren and how to at least mitigate it somewhat by leaving the rest of this Hanging Hill as open space.

[Jakie19]

Wow, let's turn a letter about cats and dogs into a shrill about NRG and open space. You're trying really hard Meridenborn. Good luck.

[Meridenborn]

Wow, let's turn a letter about cats and dogs into a shrill about NRG and open space. You're trying really hard Meridenborn. Good luck.


Thanks Jakie, I am trying hard, but I seriously doubt many city leaders really give a f____

[Snakebite]

50 percent of the people who have a pet should not....most can't take care of their kids or themselves let along pets....

Fortunately, their are a couple Councilors and Planning guys who have enough common sense to put this to rest, instead of being an annual money situation for the council.
This billboard is a special exception, if not, why doesn't the city put billboards everywhere and collect money.

[cherrybarbs]

Walt says he will not vote to let the Humane Society receive $40,000 directly, I guess there were some issues in the past on bad management. He’s says there must be accountability for the million plus that their going to get over time.

[jma]

Walt is correct, and for once I agree with him. Until the Meriden Humane Society is fiscially responsible, it should not get a $40,000 check every year.

[S_Meriden60]

I agree on accountability. Meriden probably gets cats and dogs dumped off from surrounding towns which makes the problem worse.
As the economy dips lower, so do people's incomes. There will be more abandoned animals as people are unable to make ends meet.
Even though we already have licensing it's tough to enforce. I'm not sure where that money goes anyway. Do you force pet owners to spay and neuter? Again, tough to enforce something like that but that would help reduce numbers some.
My neighborhood has so many cats and dogs roaming it's not funny.
I see them mating all over the place.
I know there are many responsible pet owners. It's unfortunate only a few cause major problems for all of us.

[cherrybarbs]

S Meriden60 you don’t know how many people we see dumping their pets on our land, they think because we have over 5 acres that they will survive on their own. All it does is attract coyotes and other dangerous animals to our side. When will people learn, when these dangerous animals bites them in the xxx!

[Jakie19]

cherrybulbs..I didn't know the apartments on Centennial Ave. came with 5 acres, what a deal! Didn't the mess at the skatepark force you to sell your home in Meriden's nicest neighborhood, and move out of town??? C'mon, tell the truth...typical spin from a Wee da peeps leader!

[Snakebite]

Walt is correct, and for once I agree with him. Until the Meriden Humane Society is fiscially responsible, it should not get a $40,000 check every year.

What do they do to be fiscally irresponsible? It appears to be a pretty basic opperation. Do they have barely show, high paid executives?
To me, it seems to be a small sum for the great services they provide.

[cherrybarbs]

Jackie19 yes I did sell my house however it’s a rent to own ‘short term’ I’m not going to though the whole contract but I we’ll say I still pay taxes on it. I’m in the area a lot so I know what goes on. From Coe ave to the sand pits its over 5 acres I don’t own all of it, just enough where you can see cars and trucks dumping their pets out and taking off and yes it was a great neighborhood to live at one time, but you Demos destroyed it like everything else in Meriden!

[jma]

What do they do to be fiscally irresponsible? It appears to be a pretty basic opperation. Do they have barely show, high paid executives?
To me, it seems to be a small sum for the great services they provide.


Paying vet bills for friends and relatives. Paying hundreds of dollars extra to cremate animals.

[Jim N]

What do they do to be fiscally irresponsible? It appears to be a pretty basic opperation. Do they have barely show, high paid executives?
To me, it seems to be a small sum for the great services they provide.
I agree.
I don't even live in Meriden yet I've done what I could to help them and other shelters.
Charities I give to are Animal Rights and Rescue, Veterans and Motorcycle Rights. Kids are their parents problem. All we're talking about is what $40000? Democrats waste 1000 times more then that on welfare out of working peoples tax money and who ever accounts for that. I mean when was the last time some someone living in a welfare appt dealing crack got thrown out?
Clean up welfare. Leave the animals alone.

My dogs are smarter then todays honor students.

[Modica]

I agree.
I don't even live in Meriden yet I've done what I could to help them and other shelters.
Charities I give to are Animal Rights and Rescue, Veterans and Motorcycle Rights. Kids are their parents problem. All we're talking about is what $40000? Democrats waste 1000 times more then that on welfare out of working peoples tax money and who ever accounts for that. I mean when was the last time some someone living in a welfare appt dealing crack got thrown out?
Clean up welfare. Leave the animals alone.

My dogs are smarter then todays honor students.
Jim, are those honor students giving you a hard time again?

[Jim N]

Jim, are those honor students giving you a hard time again?
How did you guess? They don't want to shovel the ice out of the driveway, or play with chainsaws on the tree that came 1/2 way down in the backyard.;)

[Snakebite]

Paying vet bills for friends and relatives. Paying hundreds of dollars extra to cremate animals.

They must have a Board of Directors.
Sometimes that stuff becomes urban legend.

Stealing from starving animals! Alwaysright must have infiltrated that board.

[jma]

Sadly, there is no Board of Directors. Everyone quit. There's just a manager and her assistant running the show. They do an incredible job with the animals, and I don't want to take away from that. I just feel that with a tighter ship, more can be done.

[Eastside Bill]

Walt is correct, and for once I agree with him. Until the Meriden Humane Society is fiscally responsible, it should not get a $40,000 check every year.

Same here. Walt is correct, and for once I also agree with him. Why is the Humane Society deserving of being the city's pet (no pun intended) nonprofit and beneficiary of funds paid to place an unsightly billboard on city property? They don't own the property - we do! It should go back in the general fund if we end up with a billboard on that piece of land.

[Snakebite]

If the money doesn't go to the Humane Society, there should be no more billboard discussion. The general fund is a bottomless pit, anything that goes in, is gone.

At least you see immediate gratification when you feed a hungry dog. Giving money to unappreciative humans and there bureucratic, political crap. not.
Treatment of animals, is a good barometer for how compasionate people are.

[whalers44]

The city has helped the humane society plenty and i am sure that in the future it will help more which it should. But let the billboards revenue go to the city then the city can give a percentage to the human soc each year in the budget.