Don’t look away

I hope you’ll all congratulate Miranda Jesch on her first cover story. She’s had a role in some cover packages before, but this is her first beginning-to-end solo project.

I’m going to answer a question now in the hopes that Miranda and I don’t have to field it as much in weeks to come: “Where did that story come from?”

This one was my idea. It was born near Thanksgiving when I saw another one of those feel-good “adopt-a-dog” segments on the television news. I thought Miranda would be perfect for it, because as a dog lover, she would be able to tell the truth, particularly if she thought the truth would help prevent some dogs she never met from being killed.

Those adopt-a-dog segments, while I appreciate their sentiment, grate on my nerves. I believe they aggravate the stray animal problem by giving viewers the idea that something is being done about the stray animal population. People even come to believe that adopting a dog or cat from animal control is helping to solve the problem.

What those feel-good segments don’t do is lay it on the line and tell the truth, “For every dog you see featured on our newscast or in our newspaper, 70 will be killed—70 animals as deserving of a good home as the one you see here.”

OK, here’s the deal. Neither you nor I nor any other good Samaritan can save No. 214. He seemed like a good dog, but now he’s a statistic. If you want to do something to prevent dogs like No. 214 from being destroyed, neuter or spay your own pet. If you see a stray animal, call animal control immediately, so that animal can’t impregnate or be impregnated by other animals. Don’t just be a responsible pet owner, be a responsible human being.

Anyway, thanks, Miranda. Thanks for not looking away and thanks for telling the truth.