The following is a Counterpoint column.By Bill Ellis

The story and visuals in the Aug. 13 paper about the animal shelter struck home, as most all of those kinds of stories do.

A few years ago, Sheriff BJ Barnes actually showed the process of euthanasia on Tv, no less, and he was very brave to do so. I suppose it takes shock to make a change in Guilford County, especially when it comes to the animal shelter.

United Animal Coalition President Marilyn Green and her shelter staff are good people, and, under the circumstances, do as good a job as they can. They want to place as many pets out for adoption as possible.

On the other hand, many legitimate rescue groups want to do the same thing, which is to place animals for adoption and, of course, promote spay and neutering. That is good as well.

The animal shelter is funded by taxpayers and donations, the rescue groups are funded by donations. (Taxpayers can make a change in the animal shelter.)

The report in the News & Record states that the animal shelter does not want to work with rescue groups because they are in competition with them and the animal shelter wants to keep the "breed name" animals itself.

Now, folks, this policy is just plain silly.

The animal shelter should adopt a new policy of working with all legitimate rescue groups, and, in fact, "we the people" (pet owners) should insist that our county commissioners stop bickering among one another long enough to pass a pet tax, and make a change in the animal shelter policy.

When I was a little boy, my parents paid a "dog tax"; I think it was only a few dollars a year, and that, too, was a good thing.
The proceeds from a "dog tax" could help remodel the animal shelter and perhaps add more facility space, but, most certainly, a better ventilation system.

So, folks of Guilford County, yes, you can do something about this, and that is to call or write your county commissioner.

The writer lives in Greensboro.