Dr Holly O'Brien was right on in her letter regarding animal abuse in our area. She brought up the worthwhile idea of the Source doing an article on animal cruelty laws and what the public can do if they witness animal abuse. I was disappointed that you did not jump on her suggestion, choosing instead to print only a summary of the general concept of the law. You did the public a disservice by ignoring her advice, which called for also pointing out what the public can DO when such shameful behavior is viewed.
Please do take her valuable recommendation about doing an in-depth article on animal cruelty and its prevention. This is a subject that can never be brought up too many times; people who abuse animals rarely stop there. One of my dogs, Piper, was subjected to an electrified food dish for three years, before he came to be my forever friend. His owner was married with children. What example does this set for them?
A revered elder at Warm Springs once told me that we all once walked in animals' skins on this earth and they are still superior to us in wisdom. As a child, I was blessed with a mom who told me "If you see someone abusing an animal and you do nothing, you're just as guilty in God's eyes." We must be the voice for the voiceless or else sink to the level of the abuser. Bend has been reported to have more dogs per capita than any city in Oregon; why not give space to a subject that directly impacts them?
Cody Yeager
Editor's note: While we take animal abuse seriously, we have yet to hear of any compelling local trends or institutional abuses of power related to animals. Instead we have a couple of isolated and unrelated incidents. Compelling and sad stories perhaps, but not news.
