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Animal abuse goes unpunished

Today I received a disturbing call from my mother who lives in Flora. She was crying and sobbing, saying she could not believe what she had witnessed.

As she was pulling out of her garage she glanced into her neighbor's garage and saw him flailing an object around and slamming it onto the ground. At first, she couldn't tell what the object was. She then realized that the "object" was his miniature schnauzer, a dog that could not weigh more than 20 pounds.

My mother quickly stopped the car and ran over to her neighbor, begging him to stop and to give her his dog. The dog was not moving and my mother was almost sure it was dead. She continued begging him to stop, pleading that if he kept beating the dog, it would surely die. The neighbor told her that the dog wouldn't die, and proceeded to kick the dog in its stomach as it lie motionless on the garage floor.

Once she realized he was not going to hand over the dog, she called the Flora Police Department. Officer Mark Thomas responded. My mother told him what she had witnessed. After filling out a police report and taking statements from two other witnesses, the officer confirmed that the schnauzer was still alive. Officer Thomas told my mother and her neighbors that nothing could be done without "video proof" of the beating.

What are the laws regarding animal abuse in our communities? How can something so horrible go without reprimand? The thought of a 300- pound man beating a lifeless 20-pound dog sickens me.

Should my mother and her neighbors set up 24-hour surveillance of this man's house in order to catch him in the act? And how can we be sure that this dog will survive the next beating?

Sara Hampton

Fort Hood, Texas

Wants common sense for HHH

Having just recently arrived in Carroll County, my wife and I attended a meeting in Burrows concerning the new Highway 25 Heartland Project.

The following observations were noted: A. The highway department (the EXPERTS) had a plan for the new highway that included plans for inter-changes in Burrows. B. The County Commissioners (NOT experts) in their wisdom decided to change the plans for Burrows in spite of the fact the residents did NOT want the changes. C. It turns out there are several common sense solutions that would allow the highway plans at Burrows to go through as originally planned. D. It appears that one cannot use the word "County Commissioners" and "common sense" in the same sentence!

When is the next election?

Peter Goodman

Burrows