Dougherty Arts Center
Misleading, Unhelpful 'Point'
RECEIVED Mon., Sept. 20, 2010
Dear Editor,
I found Michael King's article "Point Austin” [News, Sept. 17] to be misleading and unhelpful.
While ultimately mentioning the good work of Austin Pets Alive!, the article seemed to give outsized credit for the current lower kill rate at the Town Lake Animal Center to the ASPCA, Austin Humane Society, and TLAC itself. These groups have been around forever, and certainly when the kill rate was much higher, and none of them politically advocated for the recent city resolution to become no-kill. Simultaneously, King failed to acknowledge that vanguard no-kill advocacy groups such as FixAustin and Austin Pets Alive! (and the animal lovers they inspired) were the ones who pushed for radical change that has resulted in the city's current new resolution to become no-kill and the current lower kill rate.
The article also prominently featured criticism of outsourcing and Austin Pets Alive! by an ASPCA advocate. But the ASPCA has not pushed politically for Austin to be no-kill and is not offering to take on the task to make Austin no-kill. So why do they get to sit around and criticize other groups that want to make it happen?
I found Michael King's article "Point Austin” [News, Sept. 17] to be misleading and unhelpful.
While ultimately mentioning the good work of Austin Pets Alive!, the article seemed to give outsized credit for the current lower kill rate at the Town Lake Animal Center to the ASPCA, Austin Humane Society, and TLAC itself. These groups have been around forever, and certainly when the kill rate was much higher, and none of them politically advocated for the recent city resolution to become no-kill. Simultaneously, King failed to acknowledge that vanguard no-kill advocacy groups such as FixAustin and Austin Pets Alive! (and the animal lovers they inspired) were the ones who pushed for radical change that has resulted in the city's current new resolution to become no-kill and the current lower kill rate.
The article also prominently featured criticism of outsourcing and Austin Pets Alive! by an ASPCA advocate. But the ASPCA has not pushed politically for Austin to be no-kill and is not offering to take on the task to make Austin no-kill. So why do they get to sit around and criticize other groups that want to make it happen?
Nicole Fagerberg
