LETTER- Condon is wrong on violence

In response to Ms. Condon's suggestion to blame the owners of the poor cat that was mercilessly killed by Mr. Seymour last month [June 1 letter: "Blame the pet owner"].

Yes, the pets of neighbors can be pestiferous, as she was fond of saying. Obviously, she has had a problem with noisy dogs or other neighborhood pets before. But shoot to kill is in no way the first step that should be taken against annoying pets!

How about approaching the owners first? I'm sure that if the owners had known of the situation, they would have done everything in their power to prevent the situation from occurring... including keeping Carmen inside.

There are a variety of products on the market that help create odiferous boarders that deter both cats and dogs. Simply spraying the offending animal with a garden hose or clapping your hands loudly might be a place to start rather than grabbing your gun.

It is the responsibility of pet owners to control their animals, but if they are unaware of a problem how are they to correct it? At times I realize that owners do not care enough to take action, but even then, rather than take matters into your own hands, call the proper authorities for help.

There is always an alternative. But in this situation rather than working to find a solution to the problem (a problem the owners were not even aware of) a wonderful, beloved pet is dead after suffering tremendous pain that no living creature should have to experience.

Courtney Brown, DVM
Crozet

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