Pets Care : LETTER: Responsible pet owners have animals vaccinated - Gaston Gazette

LETTER: Responsible pet owners have animals vaccinated - Gaston Gazette

Posted: 29 Mar 2012 03:05 AM PDT

Every time rabies is in the news, I have to ask myself: If people cannot afford a $9 rabies shots, why do they think they can afford a pet?

Owning a pet is a privilege, not a right. In spite of the fact that it is against the law not to have your pet vaccinated, people still think that their pets need nothing more than food and water. Not having your pet vaccinated puts your community at risk for rabies, and when you add that to not taking the time to train your pet, you are also putting your neighbors at a higher risk of getting bit.

A rabies shot and a pet license are the two cheapest expenses to owning a pet. If these basic requirements are too expensive, what do you do when your pet needs vet care?

No living creature that can feel pain should have to suffer, but they do when there is no money for vet care. So when they do become ill, their owners do one of the following:

Take the pet outside and shoot it.

Let it suffer until eventually the pet finally dies.

Drop it off on the side of the road.

Take it to animal control.

The responsible pet owner will have their pet humanely euthanized.

It is a shame what so many people do to an animal, an animal that was domesticated by us to improve our lives. It cannot survive on its' own anymore.

In our modern environment our pets need to be vaccinated. If a pet is irresponsibly discarded somewhere and bites someone - then that innocent person will have to endure painful shots and incur medical expenses to prevent rabies. Why? Without a county tag or identification, how will they know if that abandon pet has rabies?

As pet owners, being part of a community, means it is our job to make sure that our pets do nothing to endanger our neighbors. It is our responsibility that our pets are properly taken care of and do not become a burden or a danger to society.

Before getting a pet ask yourself these simple questions:

Can I afford the cost of food, vet care and license?

If I choose not to spay or neuter will I be able to find homes for all the puppies/kittens?

Do I have the time to teach my pet how to behave and to be social?

What plans can I make for my pet if my lifestyle changes?

In 2005 over 7,000 pets were euthanized in Gaston County because their former owners did not care enough for their pets and community to get a $9 rabies shot. If everyone becomes a responsible pet owner there wouldn't be a need to euthanize so many healthy pets or worry about contracting rabies. We also wouldn't need so much of our tax dollars going toward caring for other people's irresponsibility – something to think about in this current economy.

Lee Monro
Gastonia

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