Regarding Cynthia Cavanaugh's Aug. 22 My View, "Counties can do more to help ill-treated pets":

Ms. Cavanaugh's letter is one of great sympathy for the pet animals who live in Santa Fe County. I do not know how long she has lived in Santa Fe, and I don't know if she lives in the city or the county. I would like to comment on some good suggestions she made that the County Commission might want to review.

u Outlaw unlicensed breeding of all breeds. She means dogs; I would include all pet animals. This might help solve the severe overpopulation of pet animals. The climate-change phenomenon is really playing havoc here — far more baby animals are winding up at the local shelters than probably ever before. I do not know quite how this would be enforced. If the dam's owner makes arrangements for friends and neighbors to adopt the babies, the county will not know about them. If these same babies are taken to local animal shelters for possible adoptions, the folks turning them in would be, I assume, fined under the ordinances Cavanaugh proposes. From then on, the babies would either be taken to the Town Tip, put in boxes and placed in shopping areas — or killed — not professionally by caring animal advocates. That is a shame because animals vetted for adoption at the shelters are neutered.

u Provide the financial and training tools for counties to enforce breeding and dog-fighting laws. New Mexico is the second poorest state in the country, so where is this funding to come from? I have dealt with both city and county animal control. They do their best, and save a lot of abused animals in the process. The local animal shelter takes in these impounded animals; cares for and feeds them until any related court case is adjudicated. The county reimburses some of these expenses, but both the shelters and the counties are all strapped for funds.

u Humane education. Where are the schools going to find the funds necessary? There are pet outreach programs that are offered by volunteers to area schools. Since this is a voluntary effort, these folks cannot just go in and talk to the students; they must be invited. OK, the outreach folks can talk to the school officials and suggest that an outreach session would provide a civic benefit and hope they will be welcomed by the school. They often are, and the kids are very responsive, but does this get the information and knowledge to the parents? Kids are terrific advocates for the pets, and do the best they can.

If Ms. Cavanaugh could give the local papers a good read, she would see that all the local animal-care groups in Santa Fe, city and county, often get free publicity from The New Mexican for adoption and other events, and even when working with incredibly tight budgets, do a lot of paid advertising. Many of the local merchants will sponsor adopt-a-thons for their favorite critter charity. Although Santa Fe and the surrounding communities are not large population centers, all the pet charities make a tremendous effort to find homes for their guests.

There is one more thing Ms. Cavanaugh can do to ameliorate the "pet problem." She can volunteer her efforts to the local shelters. I do, and it is very rewarding. The short bio at the end of her My View indicates she has talents that could be put to good use by our local animal advocates. It is amazing what these shelters do to pull animals back from the brink! As a volunteer among many, I have taken in baby kittens and their moms and brought them up to adoption condition. The puppies need the same care when they arrive at the shelters, so the "dog people" contribute, too, at this critical period of the babies' lives. Ms. Cavanaugh might find this very rewarding.

Nancy Lindell is a committed animal lover and volunteer who lives in Santa Fe.