Your Opinion: Proposition B and animal rescues

Dear Editor:

Phyliss Greenfield is right, I do not know her just as she does not know all the dog breeders that she condemns.

I'm sure that as a dog rescuer she sees the worst, never the good.

I have had experience in trying to rescue several dogs at different times near our farm. We do not have a shelter in Osage County so complaints about animal abuse and neglect are directed through local law enforcement and then to the Humane Society of St. Louis.

They are supposed to handle the rescue. However, what I have been told is that one or two dogs is a waste of their time. They do no garner enough publicity. That's why you only hear of the rescues involving a lot of animals. Publicity means money and it feeds right into the HSUS's agenda. There are plenty of dogs with fear aggression, mange, eyesores, broken bones and foot issues that are living in someone's backyard but your groups do not wish to call attention to their plight because that would be stepping on the very toes that fund you.

As for breed specific rescues, yes it is a shame that pet owners rush out to buy whatever breed of dog it is that is currently starring in the latest movie or on TV.

"101 Dalmatians" created such a demand for the breed that breeders could not meet it. What pet owners failed to do was research the breed. If they had they would have discovered that they are high energy. They do in fact have inheritable health problems and they are not the dog for every household. Yet people could not get enough of them. One year later they were dumping them on shelters and breed specific rescue groups.

This has happened with many breeds and will continue until pet owners take responsibility for picking out the proper pet for their situation. You can't blame dog breeders for a pet owner's bad decision.

I have read the actual verbiage of Prop. B many times and have torn it apart in this newspaper. Many parts are redundant and maybe Ruth Elledge should read the animal welfare book available at Missouri Department of Agriculture if she thinks their rules are vague. I have.

Many of Prop. B's rules are not based on common sense or science either. They are based solely on emotion.

Prop. B is causing dogs to be put down and has already failed to fulfill its promise.