Letters to the Editor: 04/14/2008

April 15, 2008 04:00 am

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Concerned, caring vet

In an April 8 letter to the editor Stephanie Kelly wrote "Sick dog needs help," pertaining to Shamrock, a 7-month-old puppy. In her letter she really hit our veterinarian hard. This must be corrected! Dr. Reabe and his staff at East Bay Animal Hospital have bent over backwards to work with us. They cannot afford to treat our animals for free but they give us wonderful discounts!

Please understand we have had a balance on the high end and have struggled to pay it down, in order to save/treat an injured animal. Not once has one of our animals been turned away because of our bill, even when we hit hard times and were struggling to pay. They have stayed late for emergencies when we call five minutes before close, even when they are not the vet on call!

All the veterinarians that work with us are wonderful and very understanding, knowing that being a nonprofit rescue that depends on donations, things do get hard from time to time. But it's worth it in the long run! And we appreciate everyone for their help; we couldn't save the animals like Shamrock without them!

Dee Sheldon
Lake Ann

The writer is the PetSafe Rescue Alliance Inc. canine director.

Stop and smell the roses

We've heard recently that Americans are so caught up with their computers that they fail to take time off from their work to take vacation days.

We take less vacation time than anybody else on the planet. "We are genuine workaholics, and even if it kills us, we're still doing it," says Judy Randall of Travel Marketing in North Carolina. We're slaves to our machines.

In the relentless business of our hepped up, modern life, we have lost the rhythm between action and rest. It is surprising how much public business, manufacturing and government employees are wont to say, "I'm so busy."

Along with our amazing technology we need to enjoy the magnificent beauty of the world around us, and take time to talk with one another. There are other human beings who are worth chatting with.

Change is a fact of life, and the rate of change is faster than ever before. Just because our world has changed so much doesn't mean it is for the better. It's high time we evaluate how we've changed. It's necessary to stop and consider just where we are going.

Is it for good or ill? Maybe we need to do some adapting?

John Myette
Traverse City