Dear Editor:

I am writing to you today on behalf of all the puppies and dogs who are being kept in dreadful conditions by a number of homeless people, who are just using them to gain public sympathy in begging for money and food. These people are often seen sitting on the corner of Highway 82 just before it turns right onto the Carbondale road.

Recently I saw a very young puppy, miserable and shivering, lying on cold cement and not even being kept safely on a leash, next to its begging owner. This distressing sight is becoming more and more frequent; it is inhumane and distressing to see.

So I am asking, pleading, that something be done about it. We pride ourselves in this country in protecting animals from mistreatment, but some of these “homeless” dogs deserve and need our protection now, and if an owner cannot even keep their pups warm, safe, and well-cared-for, then maybe they shouldn’t have the privilege of owning a pet at all.

I hope somebody can help them before, for them, it’s too late.

Georgette Vhrin

Aspen