    
Restoring Connection To History     
Open House To Aid Noxen Train Depot Project    

Age-based Swim Program At Dallas Natatorium Making A Splash In Community

By BONNIE ADAMS badams@leader.net
 Thursday, January 22, 2004 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 9A 





PLAINS TWP. - Three high school seniors examined photos of animal cruelty
posted on the shelter walls. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 A small sign said, "Imagine yourself in their paws." &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The girls saw emaciated dogs - some alive, some dead. Collars left on for
so long that they became embedded in their skin. Animals that were shot and in
some cases, tortured. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "Who would hang a dog from a tree?" student Nicole Nichols asked. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Humane Society educator Beth Maffei pointed to a photo of a small white dog
who was found living under a building. He was so flea-infested when he was
rescued that the water used to bathe him turned red with blood. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "We do prosecute aggressively," she told Nichols and two other Greater
Nanticoke Area High School seniors, Audry Passetti and LeeAnn Keefe. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The three advanced biology students visited the Society for the Prevention
of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County earlier this month. Keefe wants to be
a pediatrician, Passetti plans to study forensics and Nichols wants to be a
veterinarian. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Most weeks, Maffei hosts a handful of local high school juniors and seniors
as part of the surgical observation program. Students get a dose of reality
from the world of unwanted animals. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Maffei led Passetti, Keefe and Nichols in discussions about spaying and
neutering, adoption and euthanasia. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Passetti, 18, asked Maffei how many animals the shelter euthanizes in a
day. Maffei couldn't provide an exact number. She explained that it depends on
the number of incoming animals and space because the SPCA doesn't turn animals
away. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 "There's days we don't have to euthanize, which are good days. There's not
many of them," she said. She told the students that she had a very difficult
time accepting euthanasia during her first six months at the shelter. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The students watched Pittston veterinarian Inayat Kathio neuter a male dog
using the traditional scalpel method and then neuter a cat using the SPCA's
laser. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The girls stood quietly and observed the surgeries. Nichols videotaped the
procedures using Keefe's camera. Keefe said she hadn't eaten that morning and
didn't feel well enough to watch the surgeries. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 She said at the end of the tour that she was surprised at the number of
animals that are euthanized. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Nichols said she didn't' realize how neglectful people can be to animals.
"How could you treat an animal with such disrespect?" she said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Bonnie Adams, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7241. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 TIMES LEADER STAFF PHOTOS/MADALYN RUGGIERO &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Greater Nanticoke Area High School student LeeAnn Keefe listens during a
presentation by veterinarian Inayat Kathio. Students periodically visit the
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Luzerne County in Plains
Township to learn about surgical techniques and animal cruelty. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Rudy, a dog up for adoption at the SPCA, was neutered in front of Greater
Nanticoke Area seniors, from left, Audry Passetti and Nicole Nichols. Students
who visit the shelter learn that many pets must be neutered of spayed before
they can be adopted. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Animal Awareness