PETS: Home, sweet home

In Sunday’s edition of The Coeur d’Alene Press, John Peters of Coeur d’Alene wrote a wonderful piece addressing the public’s need to bring their pets everywhere. Ask my family and friends, I am a devoted pet lover and have a house full of cats and dogs but I do not take them to public places. They are my animals and I don’t expect others to love or tolerate them as we do.

Yes, they are a very important members of our family and they will always have a safe home with us. However, it is my choice to own these animals — not the public, friends, or family members. Service animals are wonderful but these days I have overheard others stating all you have to do is say your animal is a service animal and you can take it anywhere. Friends have specifically explained this to me — really!

Call me what you will but I say love your animals and keep them home where they belong. And, don’t get me started on all the pickup trucks that endanger the lives of the dogs by letting them ride in the back without a safety harness ensuring safe restraint in case of an accident. Yes, in the old days we let ours ride in the back too but that was when Post Falls had only a flashing light and no traffic, with a population of 4,000.

MAURENE HUMPHREY

Post Falls