Our Viewpoint

Most of us at The Ledger have at least one pet. Most days you can come in and be greeted by Walter or Buster, our office dogs. We work with them to make sure they are on their best behavior, but once in awhile one of them will bark at a customer. Especially on days we're producing the newspaper, it's important for us to make sure our pets have some attention, too.

Thoughout the county, and beyond, we see examples of the extremes of pet ownership. On one end, you have dog owners like me who dress them up and spoil them to no end. Walter Cronkite Wooden has been known to wear a bow tie collar to work on special occasions. I don't have kids, so Walter gets all the attention.

On the other end, you have people who take on more than they can handle with pets and livestock. Just as you need to have the means to support your kids and provide them with a well-balanced life, you have to do the same with animals. If you choose to have dogs or cats or horses or sheep, you need to make sure you can provide for them.

Law enforcement will get calls about mistreated animals, sometimes multiple calls about a single pet owner. While everyone's idea of mistreatment is different, pet owners have a responsibility to take care of their animals' basic needs, just as you do with your children.

— Annie Wooden