Use of common Sense is Necessary with Animal Rights Issues

A Story of Shelter Abuse

I am an animal lover and volunteer for those who help them when I can. I am also a public servant in the capacity of a police officer. I have always loved animals as all of my family members. We have literally rescued more hurt or stray creatures than I can count. I am not however to the extreme as such animal rights people who seem to hold the perspective that a Tadpole = a Puppy = a Human Baby. I believe these types do more damage to the movement of animal rights and lobbying for laws that protect them. Common sense should be the rule of thumb. As in this "Mindy story", I believe the author is sincere yet I am experienced enough on both sides of caring about the needs of dogs mistreated and from the standpoint of being a public servant. It is very easy to point fingers and judge those who work for a public "city" animal shelter and suggest what they should have or have not done. These employees cannot make decisions outside of their department policy. They just can't. I myself have been in very dangerous situations with dogs while on duty as a police officer. To suggest that "Dangerous dog breeds" are not dangerous is a foolish assumption. A dog becomes what a person puts inside him. In the case of Pit Bulls, this particular dog is an extremely powerful animal with a bite that can crush the largest of human bones and of course can and will kill humans as obvious documentation has shown. When a public servant whether dog catcher or policeman is called to the scene of a dangerous dog we have no choice but to use any tool necessary to control the animal for capture in order that we are safe from all manners of disease or injuries or worse. We are not called to come visit a lovable pet dog. That never happens. We are called when an animal has attacked or is a threat to attack. We have no knowledge of if the Pit bull has been raised friendly or trained to viciously attack. We have no choice but to approach every animal as dangerous and capable to severely injure us. After all, they are very terrified animals by this point and even children know a scared animal is a dangerous animal. I have been present many times when their is nothing humanly possible left to do but to put the suffering animal down. I have also read blogs or newspaper articles where the shelters and public servants were very unfairly judged for what made a good sensitive story, leaving out chunks of pertinent information others were not aware of. Are there instances of animal abuse that happen? Well of course the there is. But don't throw the baby out with the bath water. A lot of these people who are condemned to hell are simply doing all they can while all else is oiut of their control. Focus needs to be placed on those

who are truly mistreating and fighting animals out of criminal profit and ignorance.