Mourning the deaths of animals in Granite Falls home
Published on Tue, Feb 1, 2011 by BY PAM STEVENS | MANAGING EDITORRead More Editorial
What were these people thinking? That was the first thing that came to my mind when I heard about the senseless deaths of over 30 cats and dogs which were left to starve to death inside a home in Granite Falls.
I can’t imagine just walking out the door of your home and locking in 29 cats and two dogs, knowing full well you were sentencing them to death. How could anyone do that to these poor defenseless animals?
Diane Cowling allegedly said that she just couldn’t afford to feed them anymore and that she couldn’t get any help from shelters. I’m having a hard time understanding this. Shelters in this area would take the animals that they could and the others could go to one of several other shelters.
Even if the shelters had to euthanize them, it would be done more humanely than just allowing them to go without food or water for weeks.
According to police, some of the carcasses were actually close to six months old, which means that these animals were dying even before the Cowlings left their foreclosed home in December. What went wrong? Hopefully, we will find out the answers to these questions.
I’m concerned about the lack of calls from neighbors. First, weren’t they concerned that dozens of animals were living inside the home – even before the owners left? I can only assume that there was a lot of meowing and barking as these poor, vulnerable animals lay starving.
Second, neighbors said they smelled something but didn’t know where it was coming from. I would hope that my neighbors would investigate a little more. After all, it could be me or someone else in my family decomposing inside those walls.
We need to look out for each other as neighbors and we need to make sure that those who can’t take care of themselves are being taken care of - this means animals and people.
I have had a hard time sleeping just thinking about the suffering of these animals. How could these people sleep at night knowing that the animals were stranded inside their home? It would have been better to let the animals go and fend for themselves. I’m sure it would have given at least a majority of them a fighting chance.
Most people are kind hearted and will feed an animal when they can see they are in need. Many will even pick them up and make sure they get a good home, whether that means trying to find the owner, through a shelter or with someone they know.
Almost anything would have been better than the way these innocent victims were allowed to suffer and die.
The recommended $100,000 bail is more than fair for the heinous death these animals were made to endure. If they are found guilty, I would hope that the Cowlings receive the maximum sentence allowed by law.
I can’t imagine just walking out the door of your home and locking in 29 cats and two dogs, knowing full well you were sentencing them to death. How could anyone do that to these poor defenseless animals?
Diane Cowling allegedly said that she just couldn’t afford to feed them anymore and that she couldn’t get any help from shelters. I’m having a hard time understanding this. Shelters in this area would take the animals that they could and the others could go to one of several other shelters.
Even if the shelters had to euthanize them, it would be done more humanely than just allowing them to go without food or water for weeks.
According to police, some of the carcasses were actually close to six months old, which means that these animals were dying even before the Cowlings left their foreclosed home in December. What went wrong? Hopefully, we will find out the answers to these questions.
I’m concerned about the lack of calls from neighbors. First, weren’t they concerned that dozens of animals were living inside the home – even before the owners left? I can only assume that there was a lot of meowing and barking as these poor, vulnerable animals lay starving.
Second, neighbors said they smelled something but didn’t know where it was coming from. I would hope that my neighbors would investigate a little more. After all, it could be me or someone else in my family decomposing inside those walls.
We need to look out for each other as neighbors and we need to make sure that those who can’t take care of themselves are being taken care of - this means animals and people.
I have had a hard time sleeping just thinking about the suffering of these animals. How could these people sleep at night knowing that the animals were stranded inside their home? It would have been better to let the animals go and fend for themselves. I’m sure it would have given at least a majority of them a fighting chance.
Most people are kind hearted and will feed an animal when they can see they are in need. Many will even pick them up and make sure they get a good home, whether that means trying to find the owner, through a shelter or with someone they know.
Almost anything would have been better than the way these innocent victims were allowed to suffer and die.
The recommended $100,000 bail is more than fair for the heinous death these animals were made to endure. If they are found guilty, I would hope that the Cowlings receive the maximum sentence allowed by law.
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