Proud shelter volunteer vouches for kind, caring...

Proud shelter volunteer vouches for kind, caring staff, manager

I volunteer at the Orange County Humane Society seven days a week.

Since I am there every day, I am able to witness routine care of the

animals. The following occurs on a daily basis: Kennels are washed

down at least three times. Animals are fed a large bowl of food and

various snacks. Water bowls are always filled. Animals are examined

by staff members. Any dog with a serious problem is examined by the

vet. Any nonserious problem is treated. There is premium canned food

available to feed animals that come in malnourished. Hungry dogs are

fed two to three times daily. Dogs are bathed on the premises and

even taken to groomers for washes and haircuts.

The staff members are kind, caring people who love animals and

work really hard. The manager is really a special person who is

extremely knowledgeable and very thorough in her procedures in taking

care of the animals.

Being a volunteer makes me feel very happy. Every morning, I put

together some kind of treat to spice up the dogs’ food. Usually, I

bring canned food home and mix it with broth, fresh vegetables and

rice. Many times, I’ve added chicken or beef to it.

If a dog is malnourished or ill, I bring him home and nurse him

back to health. The shelter supplies medicine and food. On one

occasion, I had to be given about $100 worth of medicine. We adopt

dogs for $70- and-something, and I bathe the dogs and brush their

hair. The shelter supplies shampoo, etc.

One of my greatest pleasures is to take the dogs to the park or

beach and watch their beautiful faces light up. I put my arm around

them and let them know they’ll be OK and that someone will love them

and give them a life they deserve. The greatest joy of all is to

watch our patrons come in, stand in front of a kennel and gasp, “I

want this one.” When I watch the excitement of the dog and his new

owner, it brings tears to my eyes.

Being a volunteer at the Orange County Humane Society has been one

of the most wonderful experiences of my life. I am extremely grateful

to the staff, patrons and dogs for helping me become a better person.

RHONDA BELCHER

Huntington Beach

* EDITOR’S NOTE: The city of Costa Mesa has launched an

investigation into the Orange County Humane Society after several

volunteers complained that the animals were not cared for properly.

Only so much can be done to handle increasing passengers

Regarding the Pilot’s Sept. 28 story, “Airport struggling to stay

under the cap,” and the question of whether the city and activists

are doing enough to handle the growing passenger numbers at John

Wayne Airport, the answer is they can’t do much about it.

I think the biggest problem right now is nobody wants to fly out

of Los Angeles International Airport because the Transportation

Security Administration has made a shambles out of LAX. You can’t get

through the lines, and you have to get up there a day before your

flight’s ready to leave.

That’s one big issue. Another big issue is the economy. As it

starts to get better, more and more businesspeople are going to be

flying out of John Wayne Airport, which is going to put tremendous

pressure on the cap. As the economy gets better, more and more people

are going to want to fly out on vacations. John Wayne Airport has

increased the numbers of screening points, so they’re able to handle

the people a little bit better. So, I don’t know what these activists

and city officials can do to handle the growing passenger numbers.

I think Newport Beach was darn lucky that John Wayne Airport was

grandfathered in through the act, written about 10 years ago, which

made things like the cap and curfews illegal at all other airports in

the country. I think the only other airports that were grandfathered

in were Long Beach and John Wayne. You can’t have these things at any

other airport in the country because of the people’s rights to fly

out when they want to.

BILL PEMBERTON

Costa Mesa