Emotions in a Beginning Hunter: Doing the Hard Thing - Page 2

shortwave · November 17, 2011, 03:05 PM

Daekar,

I commend you in your feelings/compassion for animals.

Too, I commend you for not letting your compassion for animals keep you from doing what has to be done. Life in the country is a bit different than city life

In the country, as you have found, feral cats are an ongoing problem. You may also find packs of dogs to become a problem in the future. Seems the country is the dumping ground for every unwanted pet belonging to those living in suburbia USA. Couple that with the irresponsible country pet owners letting their animals run wild, well, ridding these animals so your animals don't get sick is unfortunately a country way of life. Doesn't make the task any easier but it sure is better than watching your well kept animal suffer/die from parvo or some such disease.

Again, leaving food out at random will attract not only other dogs/cats but other critters you may not want around.

tahunua001 · November 17, 2011, 03:10 PM

Quote:

I'm going to go off on a slightly different tangent here. This thread was labeled as emotions of a beginning hunter. However there is not one single thing in here about hunting. This is pest control. That is not, never has been, and never will be the same thing as hunting.

uh.......what?

many people routinely hunt magpies, crows, frogs, praire dogs, coyotes, wolves, cougars and other animals that are niether considered pests nor are they hunted for food(or at least I would hope they aren't). I hunt squirrels regularly but I dont eat them. hunting a feral cat is just as much hunting as hunting a feral hog. the main bullet point of this thread is the emotional ramifications of taking an animals life when there is little difference between the game and an animal that you've grown to love like a member of the family.

ClayInTx · November 17, 2011, 03:16 PM

I suppose Daekar wanted to speak with a group who do kill animals and might have emotions similar to what he experienced.

I understand the necessity of killing a nuisance or dangerous animal but I don’t like having to do it.

The problem with having to kill an animal which is normally domesticated but has been thrown out to live on its own by some scumbag without the guts to do it his self is that we love pets. Perhaps the animal is a generation or two from domesticated, but still of the specie we regard as pets.

Recently I had to do the same as Daekar and it was not easy. All that little cat really wanted was to be taken in and loved but she had to fight for what she got and developed a personality to fit.

I’ve had dumped dogs come crawling to me on their belly begging to have a home.

Yes, it gets to me and I sometimes believe we’re shooting animals of the wrong specie.

markj · November 17, 2011, 05:40 PM

I only get emotional when one of mine gets hurt by one of them. Any varmint out there can harm your pets. I been cleaning out varmints all my life it seems and I too get angry at the city folk come out and let their pets go.

I hate to kill any animal but I am also a realist and cannot afford the food for all of them so Ithin em out.

Might not ever get easier for you, if it gets to be too much get a live trap and catch them. Then find a shelter or someone wants a moving target....

wcar · November 17, 2011, 06:54 PM

"...
I’ve had dumped dogs come crawling to me on their belly begging to have a home.
Yes, it gets to me…."
Amen, Clay! I've been there, too. Some of those memories still hurt.

Pathfinder45 · November 18, 2011, 05:06 AM

.......it creates a target-rich environment.

Daekar · November 30, 2011, 11:38 AM

Well, I finally managed to catch the mean orange and white tabby that's been creating trouble. No tears this time, but my God, it reminded me of the thread on how hard raccoons are to kill!

I dropped it on the spot with what appeared to be a spine shot, just fell there and laid still. When I finished putting away the gun and putting on shoes, I got over there with the shovel and the thing was still alive! It took two more subsonic 22lr rounds to the head and was still looking at me and breathing, so I just got fed up and fetched my CZ-75B. One 147gr. HP to the chest cavity and it gave up the ghost immediately.

So what have we learned? Well, I learned that the initial process of rationalization and adjustment is painful and difficult, but once that's happened it becomes a little easier. I still felt bad for it, especially since it was suffering at first, but I've been MAD at this cat for quite a while, so maybe that helped. I've learned that even if your gun has the power, SHOT PLACEMENT is KING! If that first shot had been heart/lungs, it might not have dropped immediately, but it surely would've been dead quicker and suffered less. That means I need to get ahold of a cat anatomy chart to make sure I'm pointing at the right place. It makes me look forward to having a 357 rifle I can use with subsonic loads, I'm pretty sure the cat wouldn't have taken more than two shots of 158gr. lead at 900fps.

hogdogs · November 30, 2011, 11:42 AM

It wasn't sufferin'... It just didn't know it was dead yet is all...

Brent

TX Hunter · November 30, 2011, 12:17 PM

Dont worry, im an experienced hunter, and have taken a lot of game over the years. But i love dogs, and just dont have the heart to shoot one. I have had to do it before but it hurt me so bad i dont ever want to do it again. i understand how you feel.

Brian Pfleuger · November 30, 2011, 12:40 PM

4-legged animals can all (more or less) be killed with a bullet 1/3 the way up from the bottom of the chest, directly inline with or slightly behind the front legs. Most all animals keep their heart, lungs and major vessels in this area.

markj · November 30, 2011, 05:37 PM

So a friend moved 1.5 years ago, he left some cats. One finally found me

I used to sit by the woodstove and pet her up. Well now she is in my barn eating my cat food..... not really a stray......gonna get her fixed

Daekar · November 30, 2011, 06:14 PM

That's sort of how we got our big male, he was a stray that my sister-in-law tamed. He still gets a wild hairs every once in a while, but he's very sweet and cuddly. He was never really feral though, and he never had that mean look.

AirborneMosinFan · November 30, 2011, 08:45 PM

Whether a coyote or dove I reflect on it's life and think of what ive done, I will never waste an animal. I feel bad for throwing out coyotes, sadly it has to be done to protect my wild food source.

mquail · November 30, 2011, 10:27 PM

Quote:

We all handle these things in a personal way. I personally feel some anger or at least animosity towards those who turn them loose, those who feed them and those who defend these behaviors

Feral cats often live short, violent lives. When I have to shoot one I'm often pretty mad at those who released the animal on my property. Years ago someone released a cat out here that was declawed. Now that is the lowest of the low. I do consider cats an invasive species that have no place here. They are pretty tough on native birds especially when habitat is minimal.

Colorado Redneck · November 30, 2011, 11:08 PM

Years ago I had a cat that I really liked. That cat would sleep on my back when I took naps. Then it contracted some kind of disease that infected the bronchial passages, and it would get to coughing and pretty soon it would be coughing up blood. The vet gave me some small needles and I gave it "Combiotic" that we used on cattle. After a few days the cat had recovered. A week or so later the bloody coughing was back worse than ever. The vet told me that cats seldom totally recover from whatever that cat had. One morning after milking, I came into the house and the cat had coughed up blood all over the bedroom. I got the 22 rifle, threw the cat out of the door and shot it. Had to shoot it 3 times to make it stop moving. Damn that bothered me.

Years later at another country residence, a feral tom cat was trying to kill my cat. I grabbed the shotgun and nailed the damn thing. Never bothered me a bit. Put it in a bag, buried it, and smiled. My cat had been getting chewed up pretty bad and that ended the problem.

I agree with some other posters. It depends. I couldn't shoot my cat again. That first experience had haunted me for years. I understand how you felt, Daekar. And it sounds like you kind of got through that first experience and it was easier the 2nd time. Nothing at all to be ashamed of. Peetza is right. Some of us are a bit more sensitive that others.

egor20 · November 30, 2011, 11:29 PM

Luckily I've never had to shoot any ferals (they get dropped off around here) I have around a dozen Barn cats (most of them Maine Coons) who take care of any interlopers. They also keep the Raccoons in check

Just something about a bunch irritated 18 pound cats tends to make other animals back off.

Art Eatman · December 1, 2011, 09:58 AM

peetza, I think that being raised with it simplifies the thought process about necessity and responsibility in dealing with animals. You have real-world examples of reality from which to learn.

That segues into the clean-kill ethos in hunting. It includes protection of domestic animals, whether livestock or pets, which in turn segues into attitudes about self-defense or third-party protection.

Sure, some things are emotionally painful, but it's the learning about controlling one's emotions which derives from being raised with it.

Sure, there have been occasions where I've been saddened; even to tears. So what? Where is it written that life must be easy?

Sarge · December 1, 2011, 10:05 AM

Very well said, Art.

Brian Pfleuger · December 1, 2011, 10:18 AM

Never said life was easy or painless, Art. Your previous post, and a few other posters as well, seem to imply that "being raised with it" removes the potential emotional effects. I don't think that's the case. As I said, I fully understand the necessity and I've "been there and done that", it still bothers me in certain instances.

I do agree that being raised with it "simplifies the thought process" but I think that just makes the difference between being willing to do what has to be done or not being willing.

Other than being able to make the finger pull the trigger, it doesn't make anything easier for me.

Heck, I'm a guy with very "Black and White" views about the differences between people and animals. I don't believe that animals are a living soul, are self-aware or have any understanding of "death" at all. Still, I can be more emotional about killing one than people who practically think Bambi is a documentary.

ZeroJunk · December 1, 2011, 12:53 PM

I remember very well being a youngster and having a young Holstein bull calf named Ferdinand. You could buy one for $5 from the dairy farmers. I would drop out of a peach tree on his back and ride him after he got big enough. Well, when it came time to slaughter him it was pretty rough.

So, you learn pretty quick not to make pets, and yes you become hardened to it.

briandg · December 1, 2011, 01:23 PM

Lemme pass on some things. first, a little background. I am a cat person. We have four indoor cats, and I spend half of my day with one, or even all four of them piled on my lap, shoulders, or even head. they sleep with us. I love dogs, too, but I don't want them. Cats are low maintenance pets that are more like a wife than a child. People who love cats tend to love all animals, including dogs.

People who love dogs tend to dislike or even hate cats, because they are so different. People have fun hating cats. Heck, when I talk about my cats, there's always one person that says something like "cats are a waste of fur" or "they're worth $3 a pound in korea town." People love to hate cats.

I bagged maybe a half dozen ferals in my lifetime, before I got attached. It was nothing. Feral pests, I shot possums, skunks, snakes, and snapping turtles during that year, and it didn't make any difference to me.

Since I grew to like cats, we take in strays, give them medical care, feed and care for them, and do more for the neighbor's cats than they do themselves. You really get attached, and the are, all the same. Ferals look the same as housecats. There was a video posted here that showed a cat being shot, and that thing looked exactly like the one that was in my chair with me while I watched it.

I think that most people should compare shooting a feral cat to bagging the neighbor's golden retriever, irish setter, or border collie. Emotionally, at least to me, it's the same.

I could never kill another feral. We have one in my area that has been the bane of my existence for several years now, and I can't make myself pull the trigger on that varmint. In my twenties, that thing wouldn't have survived 5 minutes after our first encounter.

Frankly, you're more of a man than I am. You did what you had to do and you were able to set aside your feelings somewhat. I know how hard that was.

markj · December 1, 2011, 05:28 PM

Quote:

"being raised with it" removes the potential emotional effects

No, it makes it easier to deal with it emotionally. A person gets to understand the real food chain and what it entails. Kinda hurt me when the first steer I raised up as a lad was killed, I didnt eat meat for awhile until one day the smell of the hamburgers cooking made me crazy and now I cant stop eating the stuff

I view it now like raising a tomato or a ear of corn, eat it and enjoy

Art Eatman · December 1, 2011, 07:47 PM

Color me weird: I really like pet house cats and "good ol' dawgs".

Always have. I guess what I mostly feel about shooting feral dogs and cats is resentment toward the people who put the poor critters into that situation.

I'll never forget talking to a lady at the animal-shelter, one time. I was griping about strays showing up on my place, drop-offs from town. "Yeah, they probably drive right by here on the way to the country," she said...

briandg · December 1, 2011, 09:25 PM

The local animal shelter is in a patch of retired farmland about 1x1 miles. the city developed all around it in every direction. So, you have an isolated facility at the end of a long dirt road, that charges you to take a dog or cat. Do you guys wonder how many people scream "$50? to dump a useless old cat!?" Lots of them do. then take their cat home. then, as soon as they turn out of the gate and are out of sight, Leroy the cat is ejected from the window at 45 mph. The thing isn't open 24/7, but people will drag their critters out their and dump them. The people who work there have found leashes chained to the gate, crates and boxes full of critters, and seriously, some people have actually thrown boxes and crates over the 8' tall fence.

Art Eatman · December 2, 2011, 08:51 AM

The fee system is imposed by people who don't understand the concept of "disincentive" in fiscal matters. If an excess of cats and dogs is a problem, an incentive-oriented system would minimize the fees--as was the way it was, in yesteryear. At the time of my own conversation, it was "Donations accepted" with taxpayer support of the facility.

The result of that modern ignorance is the number of animals which have been forced to go feral, and are "euthanized" via rifle or shotgun.

As usual, Pogo rules: "We have met the enemy and he is us."

November 17, 2011, 03:16 PM	#28
ClayInTx Senior Member Join Date: November 17, 2009 Location: Texas Posts: 1,066	I suppose Daekar wanted to speak with a group who do kill animals and might have emotions similar to what he experienced. I understand the necessity of killing a nuisance or dangerous animal but I don’t like having to do it. The problem with having to kill an animal which is normally domesticated but has been thrown out to live on its own by some scumbag without the guts to do it his self is that we love pets. Perhaps the animal is a generation or two from domesticated, but still of the specie we regard as pets. Recently I had to do the same as Daekar and it was not easy. All that little cat really wanted was to be taken in and loved but she had to fight for what she got and developed a personality to fit. I’ve had dumped dogs come crawling to me on their belly begging to have a home. Yes, it gets to me and I sometimes believe we’re shooting animals of the wrong specie. __________________ . No people should have to fear the will of their government; all governments should have to fear the will of their people.

November 18, 2011, 05:06 AM	#31
Pathfinder45 Senior Member Join Date: January 7, 2008 Posts: 3,224	On the other hand..... .......it creates a target-rich environment.

November 30, 2011, 11:38 AM	#32
Daekar Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2011 Posts: 458	And time marches on... Well, I finally managed to catch the mean orange and white tabby that's been creating trouble. No tears this time, but my God, it reminded me of the thread on how hard raccoons are to kill! I dropped it on the spot with what appeared to be a spine shot, just fell there and laid still. When I finished putting away the gun and putting on shoes, I got over there with the shovel and the thing was still alive! It took two more subsonic 22lr rounds to the head and was still looking at me and breathing, so I just got fed up and fetched my CZ-75B. One 147gr. HP to the chest cavity and it gave up the ghost immediately. So what have we learned? Well, I learned that the initial process of rationalization and adjustment is painful and difficult, but once that's happened it becomes a little easier. I still felt bad for it, especially since it was suffering at first, but I've been MAD at this cat for quite a while, so maybe that helped. I've learned that even if your gun has the power, SHOT PLACEMENT is KING! If that first shot had been heart/lungs, it might not have dropped immediately, but it surely would've been dead quicker and suffered less. That means I need to get ahold of a cat anatomy chart to make sure I'm pointing at the right place. It makes me look forward to having a 357 rifle I can use with subsonic loads, I'm pretty sure the cat wouldn't have taken more than two shots of 158gr. lead at 900fps.

November 30, 2011, 12:17 PM	#34
TX Hunter Senior Member Join Date: February 11, 2010 Location: East Texas USA Posts: 1,805	Mr Daeker Dont worry, im an experienced hunter, and have taken a lot of game over the years. But i love dogs, and just dont have the heart to shoot one. I have had to do it before but it hurt me so bad i dont ever want to do it again. i understand how you feel.

November 30, 2011, 08:45 PM	#38
AirborneMosinFan Senior Member Join Date: May 20, 2011 Location: Kelly nc Posts: 137	I sit there and pet whatever I kill Whether a coyote or dove I reflect on it's life and think of what ive done, I will never waste an animal. I feel bad for throwing out coyotes, sadly it has to be done to protect my wild food source. __________________ "To be prepared for war is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace." - General George Washington

November 17, 2011, 03:05 PM	#26
shortwave Senior Member Join Date: December 17, 2007 Location: SOUTHEAST, OHIO Posts: 5,970	Daekar, I commend you in your feelings/compassion for animals. Too, I commend you for not letting your compassion for animals keep you from doing what has to be done. Life in the country is a bit different than city life In the country, as you have found, feral cats are an ongoing problem. You may also find packs of dogs to become a problem in the future. Seems the country is the dumping ground for every unwanted pet belonging to those living in suburbia USA. Couple that with the irresponsible country pet owners letting their animals run wild, well, ridding these animals so your animals don't get sick is unfortunately a country way of life. Doesn't make the task any easier but it sure is better than watching your well kept animal suffer/die from parvo or some such disease. Again, leaving food out at random will attract not only other dogs/cats but other critters you may not want around.

November 17, 2011, 05:40 PM	#29
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	I only get emotional when one of mine gets hurt by one of them. Any varmint out there can harm your pets. I been cleaning out varmints all my life it seems and I too get angry at the city folk come out and let their pets go. I hate to kill any animal but I am also a realist and cannot afford the food for all of them so Ithin em out. Might not ever get easier for you, if it gets to be too much get a live trap and catch them. Then find a shelter or someone wants a moving target....

November 17, 2011, 06:54 PM	#30
wcar Member Join Date: August 27, 2011 Location: North Mississippi Posts: 37	"... I’ve had dumped dogs come crawling to me on their belly begging to have a home. Yes, it gets to me…." Amen, Clay! I've been there, too. Some of those memories still hurt.

November 30, 2011, 11:42 AM	#33
hogdogs Staff In Memoriam Join Date: October 31, 2007 Location: Western Florida panhandle Posts: 11,069	It wasn't sufferin'... It just didn't know it was dead yet is all... Brent

November 30, 2011, 12:40 PM	#35
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	4-legged animals can all (more or less) be killed with a bullet 1/3 the way up from the bottom of the chest, directly inline with or slightly behind the front legs. Most all animals keep their heart, lungs and major vessels in this area.

November 30, 2011, 05:37 PM	#36
markj Senior Member Join Date: October 27, 2005 Location: Crescent Iowa Posts: 2,971	So a friend moved 1.5 years ago, he left some cats. One finally found me I used to sit by the woodstove and pet her up. Well now she is in my barn eating my cat food..... not really a stray......gonna get her fixed

November 30, 2011, 06:14 PM	#37
Daekar Senior Member Join Date: March 28, 2011 Posts: 458	That's sort of how we got our big male, he was a stray that my sister-in-law tamed. He still gets a wild hairs every once in a while, but he's very sweet and cuddly. He was never really feral though, and he never had that mean look.

November 30, 2011, 11:08 PM	#40
Colorado Redneck Senior Member Join Date: January 6, 2008 Location: Northeast Colorado Posts: 1,993	My cat vs. a feral cat Years ago I had a cat that I really liked. That cat would sleep on my back when I took naps. Then it contracted some kind of disease that infected the bronchial passages, and it would get to coughing and pretty soon it would be coughing up blood. The vet gave me some small needles and I gave it "Combiotic" that we used on cattle. After a few days the cat had recovered. A week or so later the bloody coughing was back worse than ever. The vet told me that cats seldom totally recover from whatever that cat had. One morning after milking, I came into the house and the cat had coughed up blood all over the bedroom. I got the 22 rifle, threw the cat out of the door and shot it. Had to shoot it 3 times to make it stop moving. Damn that bothered me. Years later at another country residence, a feral tom cat was trying to kill my cat. I grabbed the shotgun and nailed the damn thing. Never bothered me a bit. Put it in a bag, buried it, and smiled. My cat had been getting chewed up pretty bad and that ended the problem. I agree with some other posters. It depends. I couldn't shoot my cat again. That first experience had haunted me for years. I understand how you felt, Daekar. And it sounds like you kind of got through that first experience and it was easier the 2nd time. Nothing at all to be ashamed of. Peetza is right. Some of us are a bit more sensitive that others.

November 30, 2011, 11:29 PM	#41
egor20 Senior Member Join Date: November 14, 2010 Location: Northern Virginia Posts: 1,824	Luckily I've never had to shoot any ferals (they get dropped off around here) I have around a dozen Barn cats (most of them Maine Coons) who take care of any interlopers. They also keep the Raccoons in check Just something about a bunch irritated 18 pound cats tends to make other animals back off. __________________ Chief stall mucker and grain chef Country don't mean dumb. Steven King. The Stand

December 1, 2011, 09:58 AM	#42
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	peetza, I think that being raised with it simplifies the thought process about necessity and responsibility in dealing with animals. You have real-world examples of reality from which to learn. That segues into the clean-kill ethos in hunting. It includes protection of domestic animals, whether livestock or pets, which in turn segues into attitudes about self-defense or third-party protection. Sure, some things are emotionally painful, but it's the learning about controlling one's emotions which derives from being raised with it. Sure, there have been occasions where I've been saddened; even to tears. So what? Where is it written that life must be easy?

December 1, 2011, 10:05 AM	#43
Sarge Senior Member Join Date: May 12, 2002 Location: MO Posts: 5,457	Very well said, Art. __________________ People were smarter before the Internet, or imbeciles were harder to notice.

December 1, 2011, 10:18 AM	#44
Brian Pfleuger Moderator Emeritus Join Date: June 25, 2008 Location: Austin, CO Posts: 19,578	Never said life was easy or painless, Art. Your previous post, and a few other posters as well, seem to imply that "being raised with it" removes the potential emotional effects. I don't think that's the case. As I said, I fully understand the necessity and I've "been there and done that", it still bothers me in certain instances. I do agree that being raised with it "simplifies the thought process" but I think that just makes the difference between being willing to do what has to be done or not being willing. Other than being able to make the finger pull the trigger, it doesn't make anything easier for me. Heck, I'm a guy with very "Black and White" views about the differences between people and animals. I don't believe that animals are a living soul, are self-aware or have any understanding of "death" at all. Still, I can be more emotional about killing one than people who practically think Bambi is a documentary. __________________ Nobody plans to screw up their lives... ...they just don't plan not to. -Andy Stanley

December 1, 2011, 12:53 PM	#45
ZeroJunk Senior Member Join Date: August 14, 2006 Location: Browns Summit NC Posts: 2,589	I remember very well being a youngster and having a young Holstein bull calf named Ferdinand. You could buy one for $5 from the dairy farmers. I would drop out of a peach tree on his back and ride him after he got big enough. Well, when it came time to slaughter him it was pretty rough. So, you learn pretty quick not to make pets, and yes you become hardened to it.

December 1, 2011, 01:23 PM	#46
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	Lemme pass on some things. first, a little background. I am a cat person. We have four indoor cats, and I spend half of my day with one, or even all four of them piled on my lap, shoulders, or even head. they sleep with us. I love dogs, too, but I don't want them. Cats are low maintenance pets that are more like a wife than a child. People who love cats tend to love all animals, including dogs. People who love dogs tend to dislike or even hate cats, because they are so different. People have fun hating cats. Heck, when I talk about my cats, there's always one person that says something like "cats are a waste of fur" or "they're worth $3 a pound in korea town." People love to hate cats. I bagged maybe a half dozen ferals in my lifetime, before I got attached. It was nothing. Feral pests, I shot possums, skunks, snakes, and snapping turtles during that year, and it didn't make any difference to me. Since I grew to like cats, we take in strays, give them medical care, feed and care for them, and do more for the neighbor's cats than they do themselves. You really get attached, and the are, all the same. Ferals look the same as housecats. There was a video posted here that showed a cat being shot, and that thing looked exactly like the one that was in my chair with me while I watched it. I think that most people should compare shooting a feral cat to bagging the neighbor's golden retriever, irish setter, or border collie. Emotionally, at least to me, it's the same. I could never kill another feral. We have one in my area that has been the bane of my existence for several years now, and I can't make myself pull the trigger on that varmint. In my twenties, that thing wouldn't have survived 5 minutes after our first encounter. Frankly, you're more of a man than I am. You did what you had to do and you were able to set aside your feelings somewhat. I know how hard that was.

December 1, 2011, 07:47 PM	#48
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	Color me weird: I really like pet house cats and "good ol' dawgs". Always have. I guess what I mostly feel about shooting feral dogs and cats is resentment toward the people who put the poor critters into that situation. I'll never forget talking to a lady at the animal-shelter, one time. I was griping about strays showing up on my place, drop-offs from town. "Yeah, they probably drive right by here on the way to the country," she said...

December 1, 2011, 09:25 PM	#49
briandg Senior Member Join Date: May 4, 2010 Posts: 5,468	The local animal shelter is in a patch of retired farmland about 1x1 miles. the city developed all around it in every direction. So, you have an isolated facility at the end of a long dirt road, that charges you to take a dog or cat. Do you guys wonder how many people scream "$50? to dump a useless old cat!?" Lots of them do. then take their cat home. then, as soon as they turn out of the gate and are out of sight, Leroy the cat is ejected from the window at 45 mph. The thing isn't open 24/7, but people will drag their critters out their and dump them. The people who work there have found leashes chained to the gate, crates and boxes full of critters, and seriously, some people have actually thrown boxes and crates over the 8' tall fence.

December 2, 2011, 08:51 AM	#50
Art Eatman Staff in Memoriam Join Date: November 13, 1998 Location: Terlingua, TX; Thomasville, GA Posts: 24,798	The fee system is imposed by people who don't understand the concept of "disincentive" in fiscal matters. If an excess of cats and dogs is a problem, an incentive-oriented system would minimize the fees--as was the way it was, in yesteryear. At the time of my own conversation, it was "Donations accepted" with taxpayer support of the facility. The result of that modern ignorance is the number of animals which have been forced to go feral, and are "euthanized" via rifle or shotgun. As usual, Pogo rules: "We have met the enemy and he is us."