We’re Behaving Like . . . Animals?

Re “Pro-Life Animal Shelter Finds Business Too Good,” (Sept. 23): As a volunteer for the city of Irvine’s Animal Care Center, it’s hard to keep faith in mankind when pets are relinquished to the city by their owners for frivolous reasons. It’s even more disturbing when we rescue animals that were simply dumped by their owners and expected to fend for themselves. Why do these people get a pet in the first place?

Many people believe pets are disposable playthings, not realizing that the animal is 100% dependent upon them for food, shelter and medical care. Many never consider that animals feel affection and need love and attention. Others fail to spay and neuter their pets thinking that it “will be fun” for their kids to see kittens or puppies born. Well, it’s anything but fun to see an animal needlessly euthanized due to pet overpopulation.

Last week we rescued an emaciated cat that was abandoned by an apartment renter. Left in the vacated apartment to die, she was found and is now under our care. Once again, I wondered why the owner ever got her.

The city of Irvine has a wonderful humane education program available to the city’s schoolchildren. It is our hope to educate these children about responsible pet ownership and teach them to understand and respect the lives of animals.

It may be too late to teach the old dogs new tricks, but we have hope in our children to change the fate of animals in the future.

KAREN RYAN, Irvine