LETTERS
Kindness to animals

To the Editor:

I've long admired and voiced support for the efforts of animal welfare organizations, but never joined their ranks. Then Becky and I found ourselves fostering dogs we didn't invite. One, a magnificent black Great Dane found himself left out when it came to feeding, shots and adequate shelter; and he brought his very spare ribs to our house. He was hungry, and we could not but feed him. In time, we maneuvered matters some, and found him a wonderful home.

Two, a playful neighbor's terrier decided he liked our home better, and - like the 'Man who Came to Dinner' - decided to stay. Buddy's owner doesn't want to part with him, and that's a bit mystifying, since he's at our house 'twentyfour/ seven.'We feed him and pick ticks off him daily, but we're concerned for his veterinary care, which we surmise to be non-existent.

Then there's Izzy, a forty pound, un-spayed young dog that found her way to our neighborhood, joining in with the Dane and the terrier at our house and food bowl. She was homeless and had apparently been abused, judging from her frightened aversion to men in general. Then Izzy - the neighbor's kids named her - came in heat, and canine traveling salesmen materialized, leaving her with nine little roly-poly puppies camped out on our porch. They're a month old now, and we've got them nearly weaned. But now, what to do with them?

Then Mrs. Jan Eaton came on the scene, responding to our SOS pleas, and our problems began being sorted out and solved. Jan and family came to our house, bringing a temporary chain link enclosure. Husband Steve Eaton, son Michael and his friend David erected the enclosure, while Jan gave the little squealers pre-testing necessary to their first visit to a McCaysville veterinary clinic, where they subsequently received inoculations and flea repellent medicine. Later, Jan Eaton will arrange personally to transport Izzy's litter to New Jersey, and prescreened adoptive homes. Jan is a champion of canine welfare, and deserves great public gratitude for her unstinting efforts to bring kindness and succor to unfortunate animals.

So the bottom line: the social and demographic environment in the North Georgia Mountains is changing. Once the area was sparsely populated. Early in history, some people opted for isolation in these mountains. Nowadays there's more prosperity, and more education is required. Alone, bible reading no longer suffices as a single resource for the acquisition of knowledge in a complicated and demanding world. That is not to denigrate continuing study of sacred scripture. Now, though, two quite different cultures are brought together here, and coexistent cordiality can at times prove elusive. Many new residents from heavily populated areas of the nation have previously had to deal with animal overpopulation. Once in the mountains it didn't matter that dogs were neither spayed nor neutered, and unwanted puppy litters were routinely bagged up and left alongside of remote roadways. Now there's immoderate resultant growth of canine animals, often homeless, hungry and subject to abuse or diseases such as rabies and intestinal disorders. And many are scavenging through back yard garbage containers, or lingering where they are not welcome.

Is there a solution? Of course. But first, people should be aware and accepting of the fact and depth of the problem. Second, people need to routinely have their dogs spayed and neutered. And finally, people should be encouraged to be introspective of their social responsibilities, and their sense of judgment; a commodity commonly called common sense. Not all people are sufficiently mature to care for domestic pets.

Tom McKevitt