Animal problems are really problems caused by people

Animal problems are really problems caused by people
EDITOR:
I have been following the articles in The Vindicator regarding the Columbiana dog pound. I know there has been a lot of negative feedback on the procedure of gassing homeless animals. As there should be.
First of all, the article printed Jan. 4 was so disturbing. I could not get the vision of those poor defenseless animals' sad eyes out of my mind. Then to show them dead being dumped into trash bags like common trash was even worse.
I understand that talk is in the works for the procedure to be changed to lethal injection. I know it all comes down to money. But we have to start seeing the & quot;big picture. & quot; Why are there so many homeless animals in our community? Why are they breeding out of control? Why were 750 animals destroyed in the Columbiana area alone in 2003? I can't imagine how many were destroyed in Mahoning County.
This is all due to the ignorance of our community! I see animals running loose on our streets daily. I have a male dog that visits my house occasionally that & quot;gets loose & quot; who is not neutered. How may females is he in contact with? This adds to our problems. People think it is mean and cruel to & quot;fix & quot; their pets. Well let me ask this, isn't it even more mean and cruel to see all these animals killed for no fault of their own? They did not ask to be born into a world full of human ignorance. People need to get over their phobias. This has nothing to do with their manhood or womanhood. People need to start taking responsibility for their animals.
I read an article Jan. 18 that Angels for Animals may step up and help with the lethal injections. Are they not an animal rescue? Should they not try to house and adopt these animals into loving homes before they are so quick to give the final death shot? They are in a million dollar facility; where is the space for these animals? From what I understand they house no more animals than they did in their old facility. So why spend all that money to build this huge facility that has no more room to save these animals' lives? This whole situation is just sad. Who loses here?
We as a society have to work together to come up with a better solution on behalf of those who can not speak for themselves. We need to stop overpopulation with education that should start in elementary school. Maybe if people finally see the & quot;big picture & quot; they will think twice when it comes time to spaying and neutering their pets.
Maybe one day we can be a proud state and say, we too are a no-kill society. Until that time, please spay and neuter your pets; it's their lives on the line, not yours.
ARLIA SLAINA
Youngstown
Rights of the believers are being denied by a minority
EDITOR:
Debate over religious, conservative displays in our national parks has begun to irk me. It is just another ploy of the few in this country who want to step on my rights as a U.S. citizen of freedom of speech. I don't object to God in our city, county, state or federal buildings, so why can't the Ten Commandments be displayed in any public building? Why can't a manger scene be displayed anywhere a person wants to display it? Where are my rights?
The fact that I believe in God, that I believe God had a major part in the founding of this country and that this country is going downhill fast since his attempted removal in all phases of government doesn't seem to matter. The moral fiber of this country is gone and replaced by TV that is atrocious and very objectionable to me.
That doesn't matter. I can turn it off. So too can the few who find God in our country objectionable. Go somewhere else, but quit telling me what I can look at in a public building. It's time for a coalition to fight these people and return our great country to the rules by which God and our founders intended.
CAROLE ZOLL
Struthers