THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, January 8, 1995 TAG: 9501070025
SECTION: COMMENTARY PAGE: J4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Letter
LENGTH: Short : 32 lines
I am a volunteer for Animal Assistance League. Having worked for animal welfare all of my adult life, I have seen much hardship and undue suffering inflicted on our companion pets, but nothing has touched my heart more than an incident which happened at our shelter this past year.
In the late afternoon on Christmas Eve, a man entered the shelter carrying a golden retriever/Lab puppy in his arms. The dog's head was dangling from its weak body. We immediately asked the man whether the dog had been hit. No, he replied, it had not been hit. We looked again and noticed with horror that the dog was starving. The owner admitted that he fed the dog (which was chained in the back yard) approximately twice a week.
I named the dog ``Noel.'' As its pleading eyes met mine, I knew that I would adopt the dog if it could be saved. But as the hours passed, Noel's body became weaker and weaker.
Christmas came too late for little Noel, who had to be euthanized at Animal Assistance League on Christmas Eve. Noel was approximately 6 months old, starved to death by an uncaring owner. People shouldn't own a dog if they are unwilling to care for it.
ROMANA WILLIAMS
Virginia Beach, Dec. 29, 1994 by CNB