Re. my previously published letter, headlined Our pet didn’t deserve to die:
I would like to give my gratitude to the people who have responded to my letter by phone or in person, sharing the same feeling and opinion on this unfortunate death of Max. And a special thanks goes out to Betty, who breeds Manx cats, for offering my family a replacement for free.
I am sorry to say that I received no response from the person who ran Max over, but some people don’t feel the same way.
Here is my response to the person calling me and Rob Hopkins who wrote a letter in the newspaper, since they feel that the responsibility falls on the owner himself.
If a person driving down a quiet neighbourhood is not capable of noticing a 10-kg animal walking across a well-lit road, would that person be capable of noticing a child instead?
Are we going to make a bylaw for all the young children out there, to keep them locked up as well?
Some people seem to think that animals belong in a cage or should be locked up in a backyard.
That might be OK for some animals, but it could harm others.
In any case, we seem to forget that a animal has the need to be outside and free, too. It is up to us as human beings to keep this in mind when we drive down the road.
And Max wasn’t the roaming type. He kept to the backyard or to the neighbour’s yard. But he decided for some reason to cross the road, and unfortunately had to die.
We don’t lock up our children if they want to play on the sidewalk, or cross the road to see a friend on the other side.
This is my opinion and belief, and I don’t expect others to believe the same, but maybe think about it.
Wolfgang Janssen
Red Deer