Animal shelters

Regarding “League City Animal Shelter no longer taking pets at door” (Chron.com, July 31), if the League City Animal Shelter isn’t accepting animals, then it should no longer call itself a shelter, because it is not providing a vital service that defines such an institution.

When shelters refuse to accept animals, they set animals up to be neglected, abused, cruelly killed by their owners, or abandoned to subsequently die from car strikes, diseases, infections, parasites, exposure, starvation or attacks by predators or cruel people.

Compounding this problem, overcrowded turn-away shelters often hand animals over to anyone who will take them, including hoarders posing as “rescuers,” and even psychopaths who take advantage of waived adoption fees and lax screening policies to obtain animals with the intention of torturing and killing them.

“No kill” policies may sound appealing, but they result in more homeless animals, more cruelty cases, more dog bites, and more disease outbreaks, all of which cost the community money and harm all citizens, humans and animals alike.

If shelters really care about saving animals — not just making their euthanasia statistics look good — they must admit all animals, no waiting lists, no surrender fees, and no excuses. Teresa Chagrin, animal care manager, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals,

Norfolk, Va.