”
I am so concerned about the amount of stray animals there are
walking around the streets! I say animals because I’ve seen not
only dogs and cats but rabbits as well. Why is there rabbits out in
the street? It’s so terrible that animal control isn’t doing their
job. It’s funny though because I don’t really see animals over on
the side of Gilroy where Luigi is at, yet over on the other half of
Gilroy on 5th through 10th street there’s tons of strays!
”
“I am so concerned about the amount of stray animals there are walking around the streets! I say animals because I’ve seen not only dogs and cats but rabbits as well. Why is there rabbits out in the street? It’s so terrible that animal control isn’t doing their job. It’s funny though because I don’t really see animals over on the side of Gilroy where Luigi is at, yet over on the other half of Gilroy on 5th through 10th street there’s tons of strays!”
Dear Unleashed Concern,
As an animal lover, Red Phone shares your concern for our furry little friends. And, as a person with a pair of functional eyes, Red Phone too has witnessed an alarming number of strays on the streets, particularly in the past six months. However, Red Phone isn’t as quick to blame the cash-strapped, employee-short city or animal control – and neither is Sgt. Jim Gillio.
“The city responds to animal control on a complaint basis,” he said. “With our current resources, GPD only responds to viscous or dangerous stray animals. As to why there are so many strays, I do not have an answer to this question.”
In addition, the city does not keep track of the number of strays, so it cannot differentiate between populations in, say, northeast Gilroy compared to downtown, Gillio said.
Red Phone is more inclined to look to animal owners as those responsible for strays. Sure, Red Phone’s golden retriever might have gotten clever once or twice and snuck through the fence to the neighbor’s yard (by the way, sorry for that Red Phone neighbor), but she always had her tags on and she never wandered far before Red Phone’s vigilant eyes found her. Red Phone has to wonder who is letting their dogs out into unfenced yard without a collar or, for that matter, who would neglect to spay or neuter their pet, creating the possibility of spawning new strays.
Regardless of blame, residents can report dangerous stray animals to police at 846-0350. And if you want to really help out the situation, dear caller, consider volunteering at the San Martin Animal Shelter, which you can reach at 465-2920.
Just where are those facts from?
“I just read a very emotional and personal article by Cynthia Walker on domestic violence. She cites quite a few statistics, such as a boyfriend is 33 times more likely to suffer serious child abuse and 70 times more likely to be killed with a child living with his biological parents. I’d appreciate knowing where these statistics come from. As it stands, I think it deletes the value of her article. Thank you.”
Dear Fact-Checker,
Red Phone loves your instinct to check facts and do some research. Indeed, a viewpoint is often only as solid as the evidence it rests upon.
We contacted Cynthia Walker regarding her column, “Dr. Bagby, Dr. Turner, and Dr. Laura” (which we believe is the one you’re referring to).
To clarify, it read: “A child living with his mother and her boyfriend is 33 times more likely to suffer serious child abuse, and 70 times more likely to be killed, than a child living with his married, biological parents.”
Walker said she got these figures from the Web site of The Heritage Foundation, which hopes to “formulate and promote conservative public policies based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense,” according to its mission statement. The specific article she consulted is “Marriage: Still the Safest Place For Women and Children.”
