To the Editor:

There is a very serious problem here in St. Lawrence County as well as the North Country.

It is Animal Cruelty and it comes in many forms and it needs to be addressed.

It is a well-established fact that some persons abusing animals will eventually turn to abusing people, usually woman and children.

When a person hurts, harms or kills another human being that person faces consequences within the legal system. Those crimes fall under the penal code.

Persons who abuse animals by torture, torment, shooting, wrapping in fishing line and leaving to die or stuffing in a plastic bag and tossed into a snow bank to die, setting on fire, starving to death fall under Ag & Markets laws and usually get a slap on their hand and are told not to do it again.

When these animal cruelty cases make the newspapers or TV, there is much comment about how terrible it is, those poor animals, how horrific, who would do such a thing like that?

It is now time to do more than comment; it is time for people to stand up and do something. It is time for all caring people to come out of their comfort zone. It is time for action instead of comment.

With that being said, I would like to invite the public as well as all our legislators, law enforcement officers, judges, and shelter personnel to an animal cruelty seminar Saturday, Oct. 15 at 8 a.m. in the Canton Fire Hall on Riverside Drive.

Jeff Eyre, Northeast Regional Director of Field Investigating Operations for the American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA), headquartered in NYC, will be presenting this workshop on ways to address animal cruelty.

Not only is he an expert in this field, he is also a police officer and fire fighter.

Please mark your calendar and come to this seminar to learn how we can make a difference right here in the North Country. I look forward to welcoming you.

Rita Rinke, Chairperson

St. Law County Animal Cruelty Responders