Letters To The Editor
Presumption of innocence
The Spokesman-Review has received a number of letters expressing intense feelings about an alleged puppy mill near Newport, Wash., and the investigation involving its owners. As always, we make our letters page available as a forum for expressions of public opinion.
We do ask our readers to keep in mind that while authorities are investigating, no criminal charges have yet been filed against the suspects and no one has been convicted of a crime. Our system of justice presumes people innocent unless a judge or jury finds they have been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
PEOPLE AND ANIMALS
State should regulate kennels
I have been following the stories regarding the puppy mill that was raided and have seen pictures of the poor animals humanely rescued from the deplorable conditions there.
It is time for some legislator to propose a law that kennels be licensed and inspected. We are supposed to be caretakers, not torturers, of animals God has given to our care.
These people claim to be innocent, that those were not unfit conditions in which to raise and nurture animals. Fine. Have no trial. Let them be confined there in the conditions they deem good enough for the animals in their care and let them be subjected to the kind of treatment those animals reportedly received. If it was good enough for their animals, it is good enough for them, too.
Let’s hope there are enough homes with people skilled in dog behavior to retrain and teach these animals that there are humans who lwill ove and care for them, people they can trust. It is God’s gift to us that they will be so forgiving. Patricia Johnson Spokane
‘Such people shouldn’t be tolerated’
It’s a damn good thing I’m not the judge whom the Bergmans have to appear before. If I were, their punishment would be severe.
Such people shouldn’t be tolerated in society. They ought to be locked away and treated the way they treated those innocent, precious animals.
I hope the $20,000 police found at Mountaintop Kennels can be used to care for those animals, since the money likely came out all of the pain and suffering those animals endured because of the Bergmans’ greed. Kay Holland Spokane
Intervention should’ve come sooner
I agree 100 percent with Opinion editor John Webster’s Jan. 7 editorial (“Dogs’ best friend needs to show it”). The people who purchased animals from Mountaintop Kennels should have reported the bad conditions I am sure they were aware of.
Webster failed to mention, however, the times law enforcement officers closed their eyes to these conditions. Your newspaper, TV and radio all reported that a deputy searched the Bergman property in 1993 and no charges were filed. An investigation began again last April but the prosecutor did nothing then, either.
These animals suffered months longer than necessary. If someone would have stepped in and done their job the mistreatment could have been stopped a long time ago.
The biggest outrage is that the Bergmans are free already. They weren’t even required to post a bond.
Are they going to get by with just a slap on the wrist again?
A law was passed recently making animal cruelty a class C felony. If this isn’t a case of animal cruelty I don’t know what is. The lack of food and water, plus no shelter in the kind of winter we have had, is cruelty enough. The chopping-off the ears and the condition of the mother dogs is just added evidence.
I hope people are outraged enough that they will demand prosecution this time and get these people out of circulation. Gwen Ruegsegger Otis Orchards
Caveat emptor applies here, too
Buyers, beware! In recent days we have all seen on television or read about the animal atrocity at Mountaintop Kennels in Newport. The only way that we can stop this type of operation is to not purchase dogs from pet stores or from questionable breeders who are in reality puppy mills (examples: breeding every time the dog is in season, dogs being sold from the back of a pickup or from a box at the grocery store). Don’t buy because of an ad in a national magazine.
Take time to get to know your breeder, as the breeder in turn will want to know where the puppy is going.
A dog is a lifetime commitment, not something to be disposed of at the Humane Society when the newness wears off. Always purchase a dog with your brain and your heart. Be a responsible pet owner. I assure you your pet will give you love and faithfulness for the rest of its life.
Mountaintop Kennels, just one of hundreds of puppy mills in this country, is out of business, thanks to the Pend Oreille County sheriff and caring volunteers. We can do our part by doing our homework before buying a puppy. Claudette Longoria, Lilac City Dog Training Club Spokane
Case symptomatic of widespread ills
Jeanette and Sven Bergman aren’t as deplorable as some people make them seem and they do not mutilate animals needlessly. I only speak up for them as a dog breeder and as a person who’s widely involved in animal rescue.
It’s well known that just because an animal is mutilated, it doesn’t mean that it’s done for fighting. The breed is a Napoleon Mastiff. Their ears are supposed to be cropped, although how they cropped ears is absolutely horrendous. In Europe you aren’t allowed to crop ears or tails and sometimes can’t even take off dewclaws. Cropping has become illegal in some states in this country. It’s a very inhumane practice that should end.
Even Great Danes are now being shown and bred without having their ears cropped. The fact that the Bergmans did these things cruelly to their dogs is just an example of what is widely done throughout the United States. This practice is not done for fighting; it is done for cosmetic reasons, supposedly to further the breed. Deborah Medina Spokane
Commit to meeting ongoing needs
Help being offered to the victims of the Newport puppy mill and their rescuers is tremendous. Everyone involved in this operation is to be commended.
However, we’re overlooking one very important fact: Animal shelters face problems with abused, neglected and/or abandoned animals - purebreds as well as mixed breeds - on a daily basis. On the day the Newport puppy mill was busted, there were at least 13 purebred dogs available for adoption at the Spokane Humane Society.
Animals that can be helped are treated. Those beyond help are humanely euthanized. This is done without media coverage and usually there is no extra financial help or offers to adopt or foster the animals.
It’s very important that every effort be made to put mills of puppies, kittens and exotic creatures out of business. The more bad publicity they get the sooner that will happen.
Meanwhile, if you want to help animals, volunteer at your local shelter. Send monthly donations and help get supplies and big-ticket items donated.
With your help there will eventually be more wonderful homes than there are animals to be adopted. Humane societies will then be able to concentrate on educating the public about the wonderful world of animal relationships, rather than on policing an ignorant and oftentimes deadly public. Louise Long Spokane
Publicize and track animal abusers
Dennis Scott, attorney for Jeanette Bergman, can keep his blinders on. After all, he is being paid to do so.
But please don’t expect me to ignore the second offense of a couple that show no respect or concern for animal life.
Scott might not deem Pend Oreille County Deputy Andrew Fritz’s on-site observations as just “inflammatory” or “rhetoric” had he been the one to view conditions at the Bergmans’ property or had he been one of the volunteers removing dead puppies or euthanizing 25 neglected dogs.
Kootenai County citizens wanted no violence in 1991, when the Bergmans committed a similar offense. We simply wanted conditions to improve or be stopped. A long time passed before complaints spurred action and minimal charges.
It was a sad blow to learn the Bergmans had but increased their operation out of state. Complaints took a year before this latest action. How many animals died in that year? Where will the Bergmans set up next?
The Bergmans should be on a nationwide Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals registry of animal abuse offenders. Animals shelters and organizations could be notified if offenders move into their area so these people could be monitored.
The Bergmans should also pay for reintroducing their animals into caring homes. I feel great sorrow for the children the Bergmans’ care and pray that counseling will be provided for them. Hopefully, they will not continue their parents’ disrespect for life. Kathy Hogan Twin Lakes, Idaho
Teach your children well
Again, we have a serious case of animal cruelty in our area, and what will the penalty be for these sick people? A slap on the wrist and minimal consequences?
Remember the juveniles torturing pets in North Spokane a few years ago, remember Liger Town? I do, and they all sicken me. What was their punishment? I would be willing to bet it wasn’t much.
Even people whose hearts do not break for what these innocent creatures have endured should take action to have such crimes upgraded to a felony. People who do these things should serve prison time and the record of their offense should follow them, to prevent them from moving to another state and starting again. We need to send a message that exploiting innocent creatures is not acceptable.
Many serial killers and violent criminals begin by torturing pets and small animals. They are incomplete people who never learned compassion for other living creatures or are void in some way.
We must all take the responsibility of exposing our children to pets and teaching our children to be gentle and nurturing toward them. Doing so creates a good and soft place in their hearts that also helps them feel love toward other people.
I hope this horrible incident will help all of us look into our hearts and our homes to see if there might be room for a homeless pet; a pet that would be more than willing to teach each of us about love and compassion. Barbara K. Alden Spokane
SPOKANE MATTERS
City, county should facilitate cleanup
Being among those whose property suffered extensive tree damage due to Ice Storm ‘96, I appreciate the fact that Spokane city and county governments opted to allow for free tree debris drop-off through Dec. 31. I am concerned, however, that that time frame was much too brief, given the circumstances.
The weather for most of the six-week period has been poor, to say the least. It has been dangerous attempting to use chainsaws while it is icy, snowy or wet. It is also unwise to climb trees to attempt to remove broken limbs under these conditions.
Many downed limbs and branches were frozen to the ground, making removal difficult, and snow hid much of the smaller debris. Many people have also been dealing with other difficulties, i.e. working long hours, suffering illnesses, not having access to a pickup or trailer, still being out of power, etc., that hampered their cleanup efforts.
It would make better sense to allow a 30-day free springtime disposal period during March or April, so people can dispose of ice storm debris. Doing so would make it safer for those who still have work to do and the cleanup effort would be more complete.
I would like to think that some of the allotted disaster relief dollars could be made available for this. Robert R. Clarillos Greenacres
Is St. John’s confiscation booty?
Will the city of Spokane now own St. John’s Cathedral?
I’m curious how this property confiscation law works. Is it OK for the district attorney to “send a message” to grandmothers with arthritis and glaucoma, but ignore property owned by churches that is used to manufacture drugs?
I’m not arguing that the city should confiscate St. John’s Cathedral. I just believe the laws should be applied equitably and consistently. There is nothing wrong with holding people accountable for their actions, but there is a big difference between “liable” and “responsible.”
The Episcopal church should not be punished because of the contents of its basement, any more than should some elderly woman for the activities of her grandson in her basement.
It is time for is to take a closer look at the merits of the property confiscation law. Paul Yost Spokane
OTHER TOPICS
Quisling arguments cut no ice
One of the more interesting and insightful things about your recent report on domestic terrorists is the response of some letter writers. Particularly notable are those of Leonard C. Johnson (“Government spawned fringe groups,” Jan. 5) and Curtis E. Stone (“Be careful how you fight terrorism,” Jan. 7). Each completely ignores the problem posed by these criminals in order to grind his own axe.
Johnson seeks to exculpate these terrorists and rationalize an excuse for their crimes by a lengthy litany of charges against the federal government. The rational reader will note that he offers no specifics or any evidence to support his claims.
Johnson is apparently irate that some recent initiative measures have been declared unconstitutional after passage. Perhaps he missed those days in high school civics and U.S. history when the class was taught that the U.S. Constitution is a contract that binds both the government and every individual citizen. The Constitution cannot be amended by popular vote.
Stone ignores the terrorists completely to assure us that all will be well as long as we do nothing to control our domestic arms race. “Guns don’t kill people…”
In the decade 1785-95 there were two such armed rebellions in the United States. The Massachusetts Militia put down Shays’ Rebellion and President Washington sent in the Army to quash the Whiskey Rebellion.
Not one of the men who gave us the Constitution ever supported any of these rebels. If our federal government is to be faulted for anything, it’s that it now deals too leniently with treason. Edward B. Keeley Spokane
Wages of homosexuality is death
Unfortunately, the issue of homosexuality has gone too far to be a social, moral or religious issue. It is a medical issue. Never before in the history of mankind has nay group been allowed to spread death and disease like that currently being spread by homosexuals.
The Health Department and the American Medical Association have consistently shown AIDS is being spread by homosexuals at 70 percent. The only groups close to them is drug users using dirty needles, at 28 percent.
The same medical groups have confirmed that AIDS is the No. 1 killer of young men between the ages of 12 and 25. A recent article indicated it has become the No. 1 killer of children. In an earlier article, it was confirmed that a strain of AIDS can be spread by any body fluids, including saliva and sweat.
Do we really care about our children? We need to stamp out perversion now. If it is homophobic to be medically informed, then we should all become homophobic now. Jack Morton Spokane