Cheer Up Charlies
In Deep Sorrow for the Animal Community of Austin
RECEIVED Mon., April 23, 2007
Dear Editor,
Well it finally happened. Two of the least compassionate members on the Animal Advisory Commission are now the chair and vice chair. Last night a body of recently appointed members unknowingly elected two of the worst possible members as their newest officers. Carol Adams' dream has finally come true; she gets a chance to control something. And Dr. Howard Blatt is finally in a position to do everything he can to kill or limit free spay/neuter programs in Austin. Good people were asleep at the wheel and this atrocity occurred.
For the last four to five years, I have done everything within my power to help to lower the kill rate at Town Lake Animal Center. When the state cut funding for spay/neuter programs, I was at the City Council meetings pleading for them to budget additional city funds to cover those programs which were cut by the loss in state funds. For four years now, I have set my alarm to go off at 5am every Thursday and Friday, so I can assist in the parking lot for the city of Austin's and Emancipet's Free Spay/Neuter Days in East Austin. I have personally trapped, spayed/neutered/rehabbed, and released close to 250 cats and around 50 dogs in East Austin. Many of the cats and all of the dogs I have worked to find homes for. On a daily basis, I have continued to feed and manage various colonies of well more than 150 cats at 10 different locations in the East Riverside area. I have gathered more than 1,800 signatures from Austin citizens on a petition of support for the adoption of a spay/neuter ordinance. I have sent countless e-mails to our City Council, state legislators, and federal representatives asking them to strengthen our animal-cruelty laws
Who knows? Maybe I put too much of my time, money, and self into these projects, and as a result, I just cannot deal with this sort of back-stepping in the animal community. Under the old Animal Advisory Commission, this city made great strides in its efforts to lower the kill rate at Town Lake Animal Center. It saddens me to think that these new "leaders" will be in the position to take credit for the fruits of labor of their predecessors. If Austin has any hope of becoming a "no-kill” community, it will be in spite of these two instead of because of these two. I am in deep sorrow for the animal community of Austin, but my heart really goes out to the tens of thousands of animals that will be put to death under the leadership of Animal Advisory Commission Chair Carol Adams and Vice Chair Dr. Howard Blatt.
Well it finally happened. Two of the least compassionate members on the Animal Advisory Commission are now the chair and vice chair. Last night a body of recently appointed members unknowingly elected two of the worst possible members as their newest officers. Carol Adams' dream has finally come true; she gets a chance to control something. And Dr. Howard Blatt is finally in a position to do everything he can to kill or limit free spay/neuter programs in Austin. Good people were asleep at the wheel and this atrocity occurred.
For the last four to five years, I have done everything within my power to help to lower the kill rate at Town Lake Animal Center. When the state cut funding for spay/neuter programs, I was at the City Council meetings pleading for them to budget additional city funds to cover those programs which were cut by the loss in state funds. For four years now, I have set my alarm to go off at 5am every Thursday and Friday, so I can assist in the parking lot for the city of Austin's and Emancipet's Free Spay/Neuter Days in East Austin. I have personally trapped, spayed/neutered/rehabbed, and released close to 250 cats and around 50 dogs in East Austin. Many of the cats and all of the dogs I have worked to find homes for. On a daily basis, I have continued to feed and manage various colonies of well more than 150 cats at 10 different locations in the East Riverside area. I have gathered more than 1,800 signatures from Austin citizens on a petition of support for the adoption of a spay/neuter ordinance. I have sent countless e-mails to our City Council, state legislators, and federal representatives asking them to strengthen our animal-cruelty laws
Who knows? Maybe I put too much of my time, money, and self into these projects, and as a result, I just cannot deal with this sort of back-stepping in the animal community. Under the old Animal Advisory Commission, this city made great strides in its efforts to lower the kill rate at Town Lake Animal Center. It saddens me to think that these new "leaders" will be in the position to take credit for the fruits of labor of their predecessors. If Austin has any hope of becoming a "no-kill” community, it will be in spite of these two instead of because of these two. I am in deep sorrow for the animal community of Austin, but my heart really goes out to the tens of thousands of animals that will be put to death under the leadership of Animal Advisory Commission Chair Carol Adams and Vice Chair Dr. Howard Blatt.
Sincerely,
Delwin D. Goss
Delwin D. Goss
