I’ve lived in the country for 53 years, I was here when no one else was. I’ve raised 3 generations out here.
In all the years I’ve always had a dog. I’ve never had to pen them up, nor have I had any problems.
Too often, dogs are dumped out here. It’s a nuisance, but it’s part of country life and we deal with it. We have no leash laws, we live out here because we want our animals to run free. They protect our homes and our families.
In the past few months, several of our dogs have been either shot or poisoned. The sheriff is unable to do anything. Recently, someone dropped off two basset hound pups. My grandchildren named them Max and Ruby and they fell in love. The feeling was mutual. We put an ad in the paper to find them homes. Meanwhile, my grandchildren spent hours cuddling and playing with Max and Ruby. Two weeks ago, Max got out and was shot in the mouth, he was in a lot of pain but he survived. This past Friday, my daughter in law went for a walk with Ruby. Ruby found a lump of hamburger before she could be stopped. 10 minutes later, Ruby died a horrible, painful death in front of my 7 grandchildren all 8 yrs old and under. The next day someone answered our ad and took Max home. They wanted Ruby as well, but they were a day too late.
I am writing this to tell you that if you drop a dog out here, you are sending them to a certain death.
If you cannot take responsibility for your animal, don’t get them. Get your pets fixed if you don’t want puppies, If you cannot keep them, find them a home, don’t leave them out here for my grandchildren to watch suffer and die. Almost all of our dogs out here have been killled and. God forbid one of our kids take a stray bullet or pick up something poisoned. And to whoever is doing this, may God bless you with compassion and respect for all His creatures, as you obviously currently do not have any. You are in our prayers.
Margaret Herron
Shawnee
