To the Editor

I was astonished by your recent article about the HSUS bringing dogs from Korea to Western North Carolina. I have been involved in area shelters, rescue and transport since I moved here in 2000. I have never, in any place that I have ever lived, seen so many stray and unwanted dogs, not to mention the dogs that are tied out to barrels or live their lives in a pen day in and day out. I do not believe we need to import dogs to our local counties.

Does the Humane Society of the U.S. really need to go half way around the world to extricate 500 dogs? What was the cost to transport, shelter and medicate these dogs? Not to mention the time factor and man power used for flying that many dogs to our country that euthanizes 5 million or more every year!  What that money could have done on a more local level …. I’m sure that the recently flooded areas in West Virginia and Texas could benefit from some of that.

The article states that the effort was brought about in part to bring the public’s awareness to the dog meat trade. As a dog lover and a vegetarian, I find the thought of eating a dog repulsive. But I find equally detestable the plight of chickens, cows and pigs in the factory farms in this country. Chickens live out their life in a cage the size of a shoe box and pigs are in crates that they cannot even turn around in and forced to stand on their tiny legs supporting a very unnatural over-fattened body to bring cheap eggs and  bacon to grocery stores. I think the Koreans could call us on that!

I’m sure the people involved feel good about the dogs they “rescued,” but I venture to guess that there are 500 dogs in the U.S. that will not find homes because of it (some of them right here at home).

Jane Finneran

Cullowhee