When some U.S. Olympians arrived with stray dogs from Sochi recently, I thought these would be isolated examples. Then I read about the Minnesota woman who returned with six stray puppies she befriended in India ("You could call it puppy love at first sight," March 2). She has made arrangements for 15 more dogs to be brought here.
Ironically, that same day's Parade insert featured a report about Greg Mahle, who for nine years has made semimonthly trips to the Deep South to pick up dogs that had been on death row. These animals still represent only a fraction of the ones that will be euthanized. Mahle travels with his precious cargo toward New England, where the chance of these dogs being adopted is more likely.
When a rescued animal becomes a celebrity overnight, people stand in line to adopt it. Every one of our shelter animals has a story to tell, yet many will never find their forever home. Our shelters should not accept animals from other countries unless their supplies have been depleted, and the good-hearted rescuers should direct their energy toward shelters in their home states.
