It’s like Bob Barker always says: Spay and neuter your pets. Too many are suffering | Opinion

Spay and neuter your pets

First, the Humane Society announced it would no longer accept owner-surrendered pets. Then the letter came saying there is a population crisis.

The link to adoptable dogs in that letter listed mostly pit bulls. There is a grave problem in our community with people who let their cats breed, their pit bulls breed and who lack empathy for the animals we humans made dependent on us.

There are problems in this world that you and I cannot solve; this is not one of them.

If we spay and neuter our pets and keep them safe at home, we can prevent sad situations like this population crisis from happening. We did it back in the 1990s when the Tacoma-Pierce County Humane Society, which had been killing hundreds of healthy, adoptable pets annually, became a no-kill shelter, a safe harbor for lost and homeless pets.

We can do it again; we must do it again.

Penny M. Drost, Fircrest

Climate change coverage

I’m a current student at Tacoma Community College and a future student at the University of Washington in the fall. I am writing to hopefully bring more attention to the ever-growing issue of climate change.

Climate change is a real issue that is omnipresent all across the world. In Syria, they are at serious risk of losing their access to fresh water in the near future. It is important for us and the rest of America to do our part to cut down on our emissions.

To do this, I am requesting more emphasis on getting the news out there that climate change is coming far sooner than we thought. We must also get people to properly protest for cuts in the various large sectors of carbon emissions, like transportation and electricity generation.

Jonathan Trinh, Tacoma

Electric ferries

The sudden plume of diesel smoke indicates that the Steilacoom ferry is working again, after a few days out of service. But that bit of good news is sullied by the fact that diesel engines in trucks, locomotives and ferries are the biggest source of lung-harming particulates and greenhouse gases that we all breathe.

Our Legislature funded two battery-electric switchers for Tacoma Rail. State ferries are going electric. Pierce County must switch to electric ferries too — for their reliability and our health.

Breck Lebegue, Steilacoom

Help for disabled seniors

I’m a concerned tenant. I’m on disability on a low income. My rent has gone up every year.

I signed up for Section 8 — four years ago. I’m still waiting.

My rent is higher than my income. I don’t want to be homeless again. I’ve asked for help, but there isn’t any.

Where’s the help for disabled seniors? Money is tight these days.

Holly Corbin, Lakewood

This story was originally published June 24, 2023 at 9:49 AM.