Editorial

Are You Sure You Want That Pet?

Pets are wonderful things. Whether your liking goes to birds or cats or dogs or gerbils or fish, nearly all of us know or have known the fun and satisfaction that come with owning and caring for a friend from the animal kingdom.

Right along with the right to own a pet, however, comes the responsibility to care for it. Birds’ cages must be kept clean; dogs and cats must be fed and watered daily and the same goes for gerbils, fish and just about every other kind of pet for which we might accept responsibility. And that’s the root of the problem.

While most of us learn about pets and responsibility at a young age, it is distressing to see the large number of cats and dogs that are abandoned and running loose in our communities. In today’s throw away society, it seems some of us feel we have the right to deal with our pets the same way we discard a tissue or yesterday’s newspaper. Yet there is nothing more forlorn than a mature dog or cat who was once loved as a puppy or kitten but who became too much to handle as he or she grew.

So what do you do? You took responsibility for an animal, and it is just not possible for you to care for it any longer.

First of all, don’t con yourself into thinking that if you take your pet (your responsibility) to a ritzy part of town, somebody with more money than they know what to do with will take it in and take care of your problem. And don’t think if you take the animal out into the country some farmer will let it live around his barn and feed it along with his other animals. Those things won’t happen. What will most likely happen is that the pet you abandon will die under the wheels of a car or be shot.

Abandoned dogs and cats can cause very serious traffic accidents as people brake and swerve to avoid hitting them. And then there is always the possibility they will meet up with a rabid fox, coon or coyote. Either way, irresponsible handling of unwanted pets can result in serious injury or death.

Responsible pet owners will bring their animals to the East Baton Rouge Parish Animal Control Center located near Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport. They have an open policy which means they will accept any and all kinds of pets, according to Animal Control Director Hilton Cole. They even take snakes and ostriches.

There is no charge if you just want to drop an animal off at Animal Control; as long as Animal Control feels there is at least a possibility that an animal will be adopted they will spay or neuter it and hold it for adoption.

So, there is simply no good reason to turn unwanted pets lose in East Baton Rouge Parish, and there are many reasons why it should never be done.

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