Editor:

You're too old to continue working? You're sick and it's going to be expensive to keep you alive? Why not just send you to the slaughter! It's a cheap way for your family to get rid of you, and business can thrive by your slaughter. It's perfect! Did you give birth to a child with a defect, but it's going to be too expensive to keep? Well, just send it to slaughter! It'll sure help you out and you can just pump out another baby! No sweat! While we're at it, do you have a dog that just can't fetch properly anymore? You know what will be perfect? The slaughterhouse! It's the best way to treat a working animal/member of the family/pet when they die.

While it was nice to see a piece on the slaughter of horses, I definitely felt that it was too one-sided ("Ends Meet," June 9). And sided towards the slaughtering of animals. All I heard was that it's bad for business and that people aren't making enough money. Well, if breeders would properly screen their potential buyers, follow up on sales and take back animals when their buyers abandon them, we wouldn't have such a huge problem. If people wouldn't breed animals because they have "pretty markings" or because they want to have a baby animal around the house, we wouldn't have such a big problem.

The ban on slaughtering isn't the issue, nor is the rising costs of feed. The issue is breeders that just want to make a dime and the people who can't take care of animals and abandon them, which in turn leaves business open for slaughter houses. If you want an animal, try researching it first.

Tessa Taylor, Fortuna

Sweet Spot:*Tessa Taylor wins a Bon Boniere sundae for sending our favorite letter of the week.*