I am another one who resents being accused of enjoying the having to kill the varmints. I do not enjoy it, but I also will not subject myself and my loved ones (human and animal) to getting the diseases that these animals bring with them. If my choices are to have me and mine suffer or die due to someone who refuses to keep their pet taken care of, weather that is by letting it run loose and cause property damage, or dropping it off and leaving it to fend for itself, I will take care of the offending pest every single time. If anyone doubts this, how many times have any of you seen cats use a vegetable garden as their personal litter box. In case you haven't lookied into it, lokk it up sometime and see all the diseases and toxins you and your loved ones can get from eating vegetables from that said garden. It really is a safety issue for me and mine. I would much rather handle the irresponsible owners and teach them why what they are doing puts others at risk, but the ones I have around me just don't care and refuse to correct their behavior, so unfortunately the animal pays the price. As to squirrels, well, they're good eating too, so those get eaten. I didn't go to the trouble and expense of putting in a large raised bed garden to grow healthy food for me and mine to have the squirrels dig everything up to get at the roots, or to put in a large litter box for the neighbors cats. The owners have a responsibility to keep their animals on their property, and not let them loose on mine. My animals stay on my property unless they are with me so I can keep them in check and so they dont do anyone or anything any harm, and if I can do it with mine, I expect others to be able to do the same with theirs. I have tried educating the neighbors regarding their cats and dogs causeing damage, and was told everytime that little "fluffy" either "wouldn't do that", or "my cats/dogs go whereever they want whenever they want". The city told me to call them and they would talk to them, and they have, with no results, so at least they tried, and eventually told me that I may have to handle it because they can't put someone here full time, so I have and do. Trust me, I understand the revulsion to having to do it, and probably better than anyone except those who are in the same position and actually have to do it like I do, but having animals is a responsibility, and if someone is unwilling to accept that responsibility then they should not have gotten the animal in the first place. The way it has always been explained to me is that I am responsible for anything that my animal does, weather it is something the animal did at my direction, or because I wasn't paying enough attention and it did it anyway, so personally, any damage from or to any animal that is allowed to run loose and unsupervised is the responsibility of the owner.
