University of Texas Tower
Staff and Volunteers Unfairly Portrayed
RECEIVED Mon., Feb. 21, 2011
Dear Editor,
As one of several hundred volunteers at the Town Lake Animal Center, I wanted to respond to the animal welfare article in this week's Chronicle ["Safety Net or Dead End?," News, Feb. 18]. I thought TLAC came off relatively well, but I did want to mention that "no kill" is a confusing term that, I'm guessing, most readers might not fully understand – I certainly didn't understand it prior to volunteering at TLAC. Many of TLAC's partner organizations may call themselves "no kill," meaning that they don't euthanize any animals ever, but that obscures the fact that these organizations refuse to take in numerous animals in the first place. That's where TLAC comes in: TLAC is a "no-refusal" entity, and takes in any animal (canine, feline, porcine, bovine, etc.) brought to the shelter. Then, as the spaces fill up, the wrenching decision to euthanize is considered. Then, after all options are exhausted – after all of TLAC's partner organizations (including Austin Pets Alive!) have been unable to find a home for the animal – then and only then is the animal euthanized. Maybe I'm missing something, but in my two years as a volunteer, I've seen nothing but dedicated, compassionate staffers at TLAC who show that they appreciate every bit of help that comes their way from volunteers, partner organizations, and the general public. I was surprised to see that we humans working on behalf of animals were being characterized as vicious animals ourselves in this article.
As one of several hundred volunteers at the Town Lake Animal Center, I wanted to respond to the animal welfare article in this week's Chronicle ["Safety Net or Dead End?," News, Feb. 18]. I thought TLAC came off relatively well, but I did want to mention that "no kill" is a confusing term that, I'm guessing, most readers might not fully understand – I certainly didn't understand it prior to volunteering at TLAC. Many of TLAC's partner organizations may call themselves "no kill," meaning that they don't euthanize any animals ever, but that obscures the fact that these organizations refuse to take in numerous animals in the first place. That's where TLAC comes in: TLAC is a "no-refusal" entity, and takes in any animal (canine, feline, porcine, bovine, etc.) brought to the shelter. Then, as the spaces fill up, the wrenching decision to euthanize is considered. Then, after all options are exhausted – after all of TLAC's partner organizations (including Austin Pets Alive!) have been unable to find a home for the animal – then and only then is the animal euthanized. Maybe I'm missing something, but in my two years as a volunteer, I've seen nothing but dedicated, compassionate staffers at TLAC who show that they appreciate every bit of help that comes their way from volunteers, partner organizations, and the general public. I was surprised to see that we humans working on behalf of animals were being characterized as vicious animals ourselves in this article.
Laura Singer
