Put a stop to animal cruelty

To the Editor:

I'm writing to inform you that we have; or have had, persons in the neighborhood who shoot dogs. So, many of you are dog owners. I wanted to warn you to be on the lookout for these unsavory people. I want to encourage you to turn these people in under the Cruelty to Animals Law in Montana.

My reason for writing is simple. In November someone shot my dog with a pellet gun, within the boundaries of our west River Road neighborhood. At the time, a veterinarian saw no reason to do an X-ray due to the unlikelihood that such an injury would be as serious as it actually is because of the area of the body in which my dog was shot.

However, we have recently learned that this particular gunshot wound is in defiance of what the experts thought could happen. And, Loki, my 1 1/2 year-old Karelian Bear Dog has a pellet lodged in his knee joint. Though we are taking him to the specialist recommended by three area vets, the prognosis for this type of injury is not good. It is likely my dog will develop severe arthritis and/or lose his leg.

As I have always tried my utmost to be a good neighbor to you all, I am concerned that this random act of cruelty could happen to one of your beloved pets. Thus, I encourage all of you to keep a close eye on your animals and our neighborhood.

Know that all of your animals are safe, should they get loose and wind up on my property. I will do all I can to apprehend them and return them to you in the same ‘happy-go-lucky' condition to which I find them.

Loki is very friendly and not destructive. Because he is a Karelian, he will, if given the chance, chase game animals. This is a herding, not hunting, behavior.

So please don't shoot him if you see this. Report it to me instead. Do as I would with your dog: catch him and bring him home.

Also, he will keep the predators at bay and away from his neighborhood, his territory. For those of you who are parents of small children, a Karelian will give his life to protect them from the bears. In spite of his tendency to round up the game animals, he is an asset to our neighborhood.

We love him dearly, and do not want him harmed. Just as we love all animals, even those that are not ours.

As a newer member of the Libby community, I am incensed by the archaic value system that allows certain members of this community to believe shooting dogs is an acceptable past time. I can only assume this thinking is due to isolation, ignorance, and human imbreeding.

Should I see someone victimizing a dog, I will be hard pressed to not lure them to my home and simply, keep them. So, if you are missing a family member who shoots dogs, there is a good chance they are chained to the wall in my basement, being fed a diet of tranquilizers and poison. Though, I jest about the above. You now, unquestionably know my heart.

Carol Kelly MA. LCPC. NCC.

Libby