Inbox: Letters to the Editor

When Ron Stoessell wrote to a local newspaper about the miraculous changes made by his wife, Londi Moore ( the new director) at the Valley River Humane Society, and how they've turned the shelter into a no-kill facility, there are a few things he forgot to mention. He neglected to tell you that the no-kill really means leavethe killing-to-someone-else. No-kill shelters turn animals away when the facility is full. How naive to think that asking someone to take an unwanted animal back home with them and get on a waiting list is caring about the animal. Someone drives from Hiwassee Dam with a stray dog or litter of kittens and they're going to take them back and keep them just because Mr. Stoesell or his wife asks them to?

Animals refused admission will be set out on the road, drowned in the river, left in the woods, or worse. The local Humane Society was established nearly 40 years ago to help unwanted animals, and Mr. Stoesell, his wife, and a few others are trying to undo decades of work. Yes, many animals surrendered to the humane Society have to be euthanized because there aren't enough foster homes or room at the shelter to keep the hundreds of animals tat enter the shelter each year. What intelligent person could think otherwise? Just saying the shelter is a no-kill facility doesn't stop the killing. If it did, we would have done that years ago.

The Humane Society has handled animal control for several years, but county officials have been unsuccessful in working with these people who are determined to get their way over the welfare of the animals.

Mr. Stoessell and Ms. Moore moved here from Louisiana, had some money, and proceeded to spread it around. Their aim is to take possession of our animal shelter, but they need to take their money and build the kind of facility that will make them feel important and warm and fuzzy at the end of the day.

When shelter animals can't be placed in loving homes, the rest of us, along with national humane organizations like PETA and HSUS, " just want to offer unwanted animals a meal, a kind word, a loving touch, and a painless release from the uncaring world. "

Jeri Ruth Roberts (Smith) Past Humane Society President And Life-time member

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