l to r- Hilary Kennedy, Keith Roth, Neeha Curtis, Oliver Tull, and Allyn Hoang

I am not loyal to one Morning News program and always find myself channel surfing to hear different views about current events from an array of co-hosts/anchors.

While changing stations, I came across “Eye Opener.”   I’m not new to this show. It seems a bit more hip than the other morning news programs.  They appear to be younger than their counterparts which, I feel, can give them a different perspective and edgier.

This past week, I watched a few segments from this popular program which left me speechless.   First, Keith Roth (meteorologist) broached the subject of companies who sell furusing roadkill.  Yes, roadkill.

The response from the women was, “Ewww.”   One of the anchors continued to say using roadkill was worse than killing animals in fur farms.   Say what?  Really?   

So,  they’d rather see an animal suffer the horrors of living at a fur farm and enduring a vicious, heartless and barbaric death . For starters animals are kept in small cages for their entire lives barely allowing them to move around, if that.  Animals used for breeding on fur farms may live in confinement for up to 10 years.  The confinement alone can and does cause self-mutilation.  Approximately 20% of foxes die prematurely and with others resorting to cannibalism.

Over 30 million animals are savagely murdered annually for their pelts, according to the HSUS.  Minks are killed at five months of age, and foxes at nine months.  Their deaths consist of the following methods used at fur farms:  breaking their necks, gassing, and electrocution.   Electrocution involves placing clamps on their mouths and metal rods in their anuses or vaginas to convey the voltage through the entire body.  These methods are utilized as to not destroy their fur.

No one wants to be involved in a vehicle crash with an animal.   An animal crashing into a car or truck is traumatic and deadly for both animals and people.  Millions of animals are killed each year on U.S. roadways.  An accident happens every 26 seconds.  Most animals are on the losing end with a vehicle crash.  I’ve had the unfortunate luck to have two whitetail buck killed by two of my cars.  The first accident resulted in the immediate death of the deer.  The second crash caused the buck to flip on my hood and thrown to the shoulder of the road where I and two men, who had pulled over with me, watched him die within 10 minutes.

I’ve also seen a doe get hit by a car on a major highway where she kept flopping her body fervently unable to stand up.  Just as I was watching helplessly, a truck drove over the deer where it became attached to its axle causing her to die instantly.  As brutal as this was, I was glad the truck was able to put her out of her misery.

No one wants to be involved in an accident where an animal is killed by a vehicle.  Many animals die instantly while others survive but seek an area in which to die.  Still, there are others who survive but sustain injuries leaving them vulnerable to prey.

Hitting a wild animal with a car is an accident.  Killing an animal on a fur farm is premeditated with no thought or care to how much the animal suffers.  Gassing an animal sometimes does not end in their deaths and are subsequently skinned alive.

I sat in disbelief with the women who think roadkill is worse than a fur farm.  How could they be this misinformed?  Obviously, they are oblivious to the horrors of fur farms.  I wish they would educate themselves on these issues before speaking on behalf of them.

The second segment involved Hilary Kennedy telling people to adopt animals right now because some shelters are offering discounts for Christmas.   So, get out there and adopt. It’s a great time of year to do so,  Kennedy said.

Whoa!  Wait just one dog-gone minute!  Because a shelter is offering a reduced fee on adoption is NOT a good reason to add a new family member, especially at Christmas!   Adopting requires a commitment, knowing what kind of pet would be best for the family, understanding the expense of having a pet and the responsibility involved with adding a pet to the home.

The topic of adopting an animal for Christmas is controversial among advocates.  I’ve personally seen those “Christmas”  puppies surrendered to a shelter after a few months with the holidays behind us because they didn’t take into consideration all that is intricate to having a new pet.  The dog may have outgrown the puppy stage which very few can resist.  Now they’re older, getting into trouble or not yet housebroken and they don’t want to take the time to patient with their new furry friend.

I’m of the mindset that a pet should only be given as a Christmas present if this is a family decision or it’s absolutely known that the person wants a pet and knows the responsibility involved.

When I was about to shout at my television scream,  Neeha Curtis spoke up in defense of my theory.  Finally, a sound mind.  She said with certainty that no one should adopt unless they will make a lifetime commitment to the pet and understand what is involved.  Yay!

I could tell  Ms. Curtis was quite serious and I believe I found out the reason behind her tone.  She volunteers with the Shiba Inu Rescue of Texas so she knows firsthand about animal adoption.

When we listen to television hosts, remember they are fallible people.   You can’t always accept what they say as the truth.  If it lacks common sense, question it!

Question it with boldness……Thomas Jefferson

Have a story, please email me at tevangelistaepp@yahoo. Like my tv page at https://www.facebook.com/ACloseUpLookAtAnimalWelfareIssues.