Santa Fe animal shelter needs help caring for dogs
We all saw it coming, but it didn’t ease the blow. I still have nightmares about it. It was late July of last year. I had pulled my car into the back parking lot of the shelter and, although it was only 7:30 a.m., it was already hot. And it was going to get a lot hotter. When I opened my car door, I heard an unusual pitch of barking and I realized immediately what that meant — there were dogs in the outside adoption kennels. It was shocking but not surprising. We had well over 100 dogs in the shelter, and every indoor kennel was occupied, as well as every bit of office space. There was simply no other place to put the overflow but into the outdoor feeding kennels. And there sat 12 very stressed-out dogs, despite doing everything we could to comfort them.
Such a crisis could happen again any day now. This is an emergency situation, folks. Right now we have way too many dogs — nearly every kennel is full, and more dogs are arriving every day. A few weeks ago, our community really stepped up to help our dogs get out of flooded kennels. Can we count on you again? We need fosters right now. Please reach out to our New Hope foster team today and give a dog a break. Or contact me to inquire about volunteering to walk and socialize our dogs. Your new best friend is waiting for you!
Tony Wasowicz volunteer coordinator Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Human Society
A study of place
To understand history as fully as possible, you must visit the places where history occurred. You must also see the things that were left in memory of these places, events and people, and the things they simply left behind. Written history has been and will be manipulated and redacted, but the physical remnants of any part of our history should be left as we found it. These items should be studied, scrutinized or otherwise, not hidden. I see no problem with relocation, as long as the historical context is not lost. This is the way if not for our own knowledge, then for future generations. Man has always searched the rubble, sand or water for his past, to answer what we were, so we can know who we are and what we came from, for better or worse.
J.P. Vargas Velarde
An honest cashier
I want to acknowledge and say thank you to the young cashier who returned my billfold, which I mistakenly left on the counter when checking out and bagging my groceries, to the manager at Walmart (on Herrera Drive). It’s great to see there are still honest and decent people in the world.
C.D. Busch Santa Fe
Invaluable insight Closed minds
Thank you so much for printing the piece by Robert Benon (“Politicians: Teens have rights, too,” My View, Aug. 7). Benon’s perspective is informative, historical, interesting and inclusive. I was a member of the group that started the teen health centers at the high schools, and we were so fortunate to have Robert Benon as the medical provider there for 40 years! His knowledge and insight regarding teen issues are invaluable. Thank you, Robert.
Elizabeth Hinds Santa Fe
Once again, the piece by Rep. Rod Montoya, R-Farmington, about parental notification shows the party of “small government” wants to intrude on the private lives of citizens to impose their particular slant on things; on everything, really (“Parents: Stand up for your rights,” My View, Aug. 7). I’m guessing, since you think parents should have a say in curricula, you think it’s OK for them to make schools teach that African slaves were “immigrant laborers” (Texas); that slaves benefited from having been taught useful skills (Florida); that evolution is false and, at best, just one possibility as opposed to “intelligent design” (far too many places).
One can cogently argue certain topics need to be age-appropriate and parent-aware. However, Montoya leaves no room for, and shows no understanding of, what many young people go through, especially in these days of rampant and often malignant social media. Such a closed mind is dangerous — far more dangerous than disseminating actual information.
MacKenzie Allen Santa Fe