LETTERS: HUMANE SOCIETY NEEDS YOUR HELP

To the editor:

I hope this letter finds everyone reading it in happy spirits and enjoying the miracles that this new spring season has to offer. At the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri, there are some miracles of spring that we don't particularly enjoy.

It is the hundreds of newborn kittens, now deemed homeless, entering the shelter who are given up by the very families who allowed their own pets to become pregnant. Feeding, fostering and adopting so many is impossible. Another miracle of spring that Humane Societies don't look forward to is the hatching of mosquitos who will infect so many thousands of dogs with heartworm disease, fatal left untreated.

They are turned over to us to care for and treat. Again, these are pets whose owners have allowed them to live each day without the benefit of heartworm prevention medication.

The spring season blesses us with warm weather that allows life to flourish and begin again. But that warm weather is also deadly to pets who are left outside with no shelter or left in cars while their owners run into the store.

May is "Membership Month" at the Humane Society of Southeast Missouri. It is the time that we invite those in the community to join our efforts in tending to the animals less fortunate than our own. Financial support helps us give lessons in responsible pet ownership and welfare, allows us to cover the cost of feeding and medicating homeless animals and allows us to create or strengthen laws that protect animals.

The Humane Society of Southeast Missouri receives no federal, state or United Way funding. We rely on donations and memberships to help our organization survive. Animal welfare is a community issue. Look around and observe the life around you. Know that this life is our responsibility to preserve and protect. Spring is a time of new beginnings. It is a time to begin or renew your commitment to the animals.

KIMBERLY PETERS

Humane Society of Southeast Missouri

Cape Girardeau