LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Classified pet ad in The Record was “saddening”

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, June 28, 2014

Editor,

I was saddened to see a half-page ad in your Saturday, June 21, issue for finding “… your perfect pet” by searching the paper’s classified ads.

As a former journalist, I like to think of newspapers as providing ethical awareness of contemporary issues and values. While I realize that advertising is your meat and potatoes for economic survival, I thought your ad painfully ignorant.

A never-ending parade of animals needing homes — pure breeds and mixed, mammals, fish, birds and reptiles — dominates shelter ads and websites such as www.petfinder.com. Law cases and news programs highlight issues with backyard breeders in every state in the union (see www.paws.org/index.php/get-involved/take-action/explore-the-issues/puppy-mills/). Backyard breeders most often use classified ads in newspapers; reputable breeders of healthy, specialized breeds rarely need to advertise.

Thousands of animals are euthanized and killed (homeless) every day. Our tax dollars help pay for shelters, animal control staff, euthanizing, and highway cleanup of carcasses, as well as related issues too numerous to outline. What a sad waste of money and life.

Humans have caused this issue with pets, and humans need to solve the issue. Please help the public clean up the current pet scandal; start by being aware of the issues and considering the ethics of such advice to your readers.

Sincerely,

MARIAN BLUE

Clinton