Justice for the Furrys
My heart goes out to the Furry family, for all their pain and unanswered questions ("Renegade Road," Gus Garcia-Roberts, May 14). May they finally feel at peace. A compelling read, well done. To the irresponsible boys of Miccosukee: May justice be served, one way or another, God will decide.
Sharyn Peach
Fort Lauderdale
Four-Legged Lovers
I am so glad there are more articles on the horrid things that happen to these very gentle greyhounds ("Heartbreak at 45 mph," Michael J. Mooney, May 21). All they want to do is to "please" and "love" unconditionally. People should have such qualities.
K. Mahoney
Milan, Michigan
Some Pit Bull Sarcasm
Regarding the pit bull law, if a few kids have to be mauled or killed so I can keep my pit bull, then so be it ("Pit Haven," Tim Elfrink, May 21). It's not like I have a thousand other breeds to choose from.
Adam Goldfarb of the Humane Society makes a lot of great points in defense of pit bulls. "No one has shown that breed-wide bans reduce pit bull assaults." Exactly. Common sense might say that, if there are fewer pit bulls, there would be fewer pit bull assaults, but when I look into my cute little pit bull's eyes, common sense goes out the window, and I just go with my heart.
Adam also sensibly contends that "the laws are expensive and almost impossible to enforce." Another great point. Since when do we pass/enforce laws that are expensive?
"We don't believe any one breed of dog is inherently more dangerous than any other breed." True, pit bulls attack people and maim children with a much greater frequency than other dogs and are much more capable of inflicting horrendous wounds than most other breeds. But let's forget about facts and logic, shall we? 'Cause I want to keep my pit bull. Maybe people who don't like being attacked or having their kids mauled should move to some pit-bull-free paradise. Why not try living in the sea? They would probably want to ban sharks too!
Paul Rien
Fort Lauderdale
A Foster Mother's Lament
I am writing this letter to let you know that my adult children came across your article "To Hug a Porcupine," the story of Jorge and Debbie adopting James, Matthew, and Brian (Deirdra Funcheon, June 26, 2008). I know what DCF has done to this family. I know because I am the last foster mother these children were placed with before they were adopted.
As I read the story, the uncontrollable tears dripped down my face. The story opened up old wounds for me. I could not believe all that those boys and their parents have suffered through all these years, and it's partially my fault. If only I had disclosed what DCF disclosed to us at that time, and if I only knew what my ex-husband had done to those boys, maybe if I had not been so scared of the system, or if I had not been so naive about my husband, I could have prevented some of this.
The story you told about DCF is so true. As foster parents, we were given information but were not allowed to discuss it with anyone. I thought that the information about the children would eventually be disclosed after a waiting period, as I was told by DCF.
In my opinion, $10 million was not enough to get those boys the help they need, nor will it reimburse for the medical and mental treatment their parents have spent in trying to make them better, not to mention all the emotion that they have put into raising those kids. I am sorry that they had to go through all of this, and I am sorry for the part I played in it. If only I had protected them a little better.
I just wanted to tell you thank you for writing the story. You did a wonderful job unveiling the mask behind DCF and showing them for what they truly are, a broken system with no means to an end.
Yolanda
Jacksonville
