Editorial: Plenty of good comes from helping animals

The Farmington Independent
Published Thursday, November 16, 2006

You can find all kinds of animals with sad stories in Farmington if you know where to look. Just ask the volunteers at Last Hope, a local non-profit organization that takes in unwanted animals and finds them new homes.

Last Hope volunteers have seen just about every kind of mistreatment an animal can receive. They have taken in dogs kept by breeders and confined to a cage anytime they weren’t being mated. They rescued one kitten thrown from a moving car — it lost a leg and its tail — and another left in a box by the side of the road in 90-degree weather. That one got so dehydrated it suffered minor brain damage.

Last Hope has taken in these animals and many other like them. Volunteers have nursed them back to health. In some cases they have gotten the animals used to trusting people. Then they have found loving homes for them.

There are some who might question the kind of dedication these volunteers show. These are just dogs, after all. They’re just cats. Wouldn’t the world be better off if people put the same effort into helping the homeless of feeding starving families?

But that argument misses an important point. For someone out there these animals can be more than just a cat. More than just a dog. They can be a friend. A companion to keep someone company. To bring a smile to someone’s face. There is a reason dogs are called man’s best friend. A nice dog can make people happy in a way nothing else can.

Last Hope is in the middle of raising money to pay for heart surgery for a poodle named Bear. The 5-year-old dog had a serious heart murmur and probably wouldn’t have lived more than another year without the $2,500 surgery it got last year. With the surgery, Bear will probably live another 7 to 10 years. Adopted into a good home he can be a loving companion for someone who needs one. The surgery was expensive, but the happiness Bear can bring someone should be worth the cost.