Take care of your pets

This is addressed to all the residents of Jackson County that say they love their pets, or not. Last week driving toward Edna there was a large happy looking black dog walking down Hwy. 59 into oncoming traffic on the other side, my plan was to turn around and get him off the highway, but in my mirror a car hit him and kept going. He flew into the air, legs going everywhere and hit the ground, I had to pull over. I just froze, I turned around to see if I could help him but he was mangled and dead.  

Then Saturday morning there was a black furry cat with white on its face and a white left front paw at Brackenridge and Allen St. This poor animal was hit by a car that probably kept going. Crazy enough, I was going to see if I could get him and take it to the vet either to help him or euthanize it. This poor animal looked at me with such fear, pain and probably in shock. He would not let me get close to him, his legs broken with bones protruding and his tail was ripped off from his body. 

My grandson saw this cat and was devastated. I told him this is what happens when people take such good care of their pets and let them run freely, but they say they love them. I called the police department hoping they could find him and put him out of his pain.  

This was a really bad week. I look at my dog and thank God I have him and he has me. He was a rescued puppy 11 years ago due to neglect from someone in Edna that should not have owned an animal, or he would have been one of those puppies dead on the side of the road. There are so many dogs and cats dead on the side of the road and they are left there for the city to pick up, owners will not even pick up their so-called beloved pet off the road.

I think how cruel it is for a dog to have to be tied up, for whatever reason. You look at the dogs and cats on TV and in the pound with those big sad love-starved eyes. But you know watching someone’s pet get hit by a car and die the way that poor dog died and what that poor cat had to go through. I have a different view on a dog tied, he may be starved for attention and living with thoughtless people, but he is not being hit by a car.  

People who insist on getting a dog and tying them up should not own an animal. That is being selfish and heartless. Those animals in the pound and you see on TV – I would rather not see them adopted out and tied to a tree or hit by a car, I would rather see them euthanized. They have a better life in the pound than being adopted from people that love it enough to tie it to a tree or let it roam freely to be hit by a car and suffer. 

The city ran an article about what to do with all the cats in town. Well I would rather see them caught and euthanized because they are also at risk of darting out in front of a car, or being mutilated by dogs or people. 

There are dogs and cats that get out and those owners really do care and love them, but if they disappear they check with the pound and retrieve them and learn to be more careful. But then there are those that don’t. I can not understand why Edna can not have or support a minimum of pets in town that people are allowed to have. There are people breeding dogs in town and this is allowed, these people sell the puppies without having to have them spayed or neutered which creates more animals to be in the hands of the so-called pet lovers. 

It is just very frustrating to see this happen to these animals and nobody does anything about it. Oh well, how sad, just go get another pet. Spayed/ neutered cats will roam less, it will help to keep them at home. 

We say we can not afford to spay/ neuter our pets but we have enough money for cigarettes/ beer/ designer clothes and etc, but never enough to take on our responsibility as a pet owner. Why can’t we have a free animal spaying/ neutering or something to help with this situation? Apparently education does not help; people are totally ignorant to that. There is so much irresponsibility to our animals by the pet owner. We chose them, they did not choose us, therefore it is our human responsibility to love, give them attention, feed them and keep them safe. If a person cannot do that then give it to the pound or to someone who knows how to be that person that animal deserves.

No I am not a strange animal lover, but I do care about animals, especially watching the cruelty that is inflicted upon them by people that own them and claim no responsibility.

Rhonda Berry

Edna, Texas