Dear Editor:
Authorities recently investigated two cruelty to animals cases in Surprise, Arizona—where the taxpayer-funded county animal shelter puts people on a waiting list and charges high fees to surrender animals, with no exceptions.
The first case involved a 79-year-old man whose dog was allegedly found malnourished and suffering from an injured leg; the man reportedly told authorities that he couldn’t afford veterinary care and was just waiting for the dog to die. In the second case, 23 cats and two dogs were allegedly removed from a feces-filled home after the woman who lived there was evicted. To surrender these animals at the taxpayer-funded shelter would have cost the woman $1,275.
If these people lived in an area where the shelter educated the community and accepted all animals—including those whose guardians can’t afford to pay for euthanasia at a veterinarian’s office—so much suffering could have been prevented.
Shelters that make it difficult for people to surrender unwanted animals share the blame when these animals meet cruel, painful fates, including being fatally neglected, drowned, shot, or dumped on the streets to starve by citizens who can’t—or won’t—care for them any longer.
Every community needs a safe haven that accepts every unwanted, lost, and homeless animal without restrictions, fees, or waiting lists. We urge shelters to be true refuges that keep their doors open to every animal.
Sincerely,
Teresa Chagrin
Animal Care and Control Issues Manager
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA)
