Animals Deserve Better Than the County Shelter

Re “Animal Control and Cost Issues” (Orange County Editorial, May 6), on cities seeking to cut ties with the Orange County Animal Shelter:

I hope all Orange County cities look to Irvine and Mission Viejo as models for how good a shelter for animals can be. They are clean, with large exercise runs for dogs and cat rooms with lots of space. They are mostly staffed by wonderful volunteers. Extended adoption programs funded through fund-raising and dedicated veterinary staffs provide terrific care.

These shelters, unlike the county shelter, have almost 100% adoption rates. It is well-publicized that the conditions in the county shelter have been poor at best and the general atmosphere so depressing that most, even when seeking to adopt a pet, prefer to go to these city-owned shelters so as not to carry that mental image home with them. I hope that these city councils and the public find in their hearts that it is not just a question of money but one of doing the right thing--and not wanting to see their own dog or cat escaping and ever ending up in the Orange County Animal Shelter.

Carol Neal

Orange