Owners must pay to get pets back

To the editor:The humane society is supposed to be a not-for-profit organization. There was a time I made donations to the humane society. Now I am appalled by its actions.

My terrier was freed from his tie-out by some of the neighborhood children. Three days later my dog was picked up and taken to the humane society's animal shelter. It is holding my dog hostage for money. The humane society charges a person $10 a day for keeping an animal, often not locating the owner for days after receiving the dog and regardless of the animal having an American Veterinary Identification Devices microchip.

This being my dog's second visit to the shelter, the humane society is forcing me to have him neutered against my will. This will cost $35. What kind of not-for-profit organization holds your animal hostage for money? What if a family cannot do as we did and pay the fees? That animal will more than likely not be adopted and will face being put to sleep. Instead of working with families in a positive way to return animals to loving homes, the Humane Society is doing its best to take people's money and comply with city ordinances that should not be enforced through a non-government agency.

I always believed a not-for-profit organization was funded with donations, raffles and fund-raisers, not extortion.

CATHERINE STOVALL, Cape Girardeau