Animals deserve our care and love
In May, I picked up an abandoned dog off the main highway. Through a chip, I located one of the owners who did not want him back. “Laco” was afraid and very aggressive. Concerned about my dogs’ safety, I called the “Humane” Society for help. The man I spoke with told me Laco would be given three days for an aggression test. If he failed, he would be killed. I asked if he failed, could I come and get him back. The answer was no, once you turn him in, he belongs to them and they will kill him. I asked if I could get help from Kohala Animal Rescue and Education Service. He laughed and said they bring in dogs all the time to be put down. This guy did not care about the dog or me. He should not be working there.
By chance I met a dog trainer on a flight from Oahu. I contacted her. She met Laco and me and spent a lot of time working to Laco and teaching me to help him. At this time, Laco is a happy dog. He is family and I gained a great watchdog and friend.
The problem is simple overbreeding, both for profit and the ainokea attitudes out there. Breeding for profit is rampant. I have seen dogs along the road many times in Kona for sale. I have seen pedigree dogs in Captain Cook for as much as $2,000. These pups must be neutered or spayed by contract. This is only meant to protect the breeder from having to compete in the sales of these dogs.
The other problem is hunters — not true hunters — but wannbes. True hunters value and care for their dogs after all they are his partners on the mountain. The wannabe will take 10 dogs to the mountain and come back with five, then get five more puppies. Unfortunately, hunting dogs are not adoptable and will be killed.
Then we have the killing of cats in the luxury subdivisions. AdvoCATS has many volunteers who will trap and spay, then return these feral cats to where they were caught. They may succeed in getting rid of the cats. They then can wonder why their homes are infested with rats. This is the true definition of the word “lolo.”
I would lobby our lawmakers but because of the cost of care and veterinary bills for my rescues, there is no money left for gifts and donations — so lobbying would prove fruitless unless, of course, our lawmakers realize how much tax revenue they are losing in this black market business.
In closing, I want to thank all of you who give so much of your time and personal money in helping these animals. In particular, there is one saint here in Ocean View. I don’t know how many dogs she has rescued but I do know it is in the hundreds at her own time and expense.
We have to get people to work at the Humane Society who work not only for a job, but who really care and will fight to save these animals.
Paul Santos
Ocean View
TMT: What are the
economic alternatives?
The debate over the Thirty Meter Telescope has become extremely divisive for our community. I’ve lost several long time friends because I support this telescope project. This has spread to the community at large. These ongoing protests segued from protecting Mauna Kea to a debate over the restoration of the Hawaiian Kingdom and questioning the legitimacy of the state of Hawaii.
The lack of enforcement by Hawaii County and the state of Hawaii isn’t helping matters. Gov. David Ige’s administration is the prime culprit for the latter. His administration is afraid, taking on the protesters head-on and waiting for the courts to do the dirty work for them, it seems like.
The Hawaii Supreme Court is slated to hear oral arguments on Aug. 27 for one of these lawsuits. It’s questioning the legality of the Thirty Meter Telescope’s conservation district use permit. In addition, the Hawaii Supreme Court has a pending decision involving the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope, which may have legal ramifications for the Thirty Meter Telescope.
The problem with this course of action is two-fold. The TMT has legally binding permits to start construction now. The lack of enforcement on the part of the state of Hawaii shows it’s catering to the whims of the protesters. This has given Hawaii a huge black eye on the world stage. Why would anyone want to invest in Hawaii? The state of Hawaii has shown its content with sitting on its hands instead of enforcing the law.
This doesn’t bode well for Hawaii’s future. We need to diversify our economy away from unsustainable industries, such as tourism, real estate/construction, and the military. I strongly believe we all need to take a long hard look at what Hawaii’s future should look like. The latter is being completely ignored by the anti-TMT protesters. They’re hell-bent on stopping this telescope project, but haven’t stated any economic alternatives to improve the future of Hawaii.
Aaron Stene
Kailua-Kona
