Dog mauled by strays

Sad news this a.m. My dad called to tell me our dog, Mater, has been beaten up and probably has a broken leg. There's been a stray female dog hanging around outside our fence for the past few weeks. She came in heat and a pack of male dogs showed up, causing my dog to get out and get hurt.

I had contacted City Hall numerous times to try to get her away from my fence. Before we left town, the female had gotten in my yard, so I called and the dog catcher, Jerry Taylor, came to get her. He couldn't catch her and she hid under the porch. He said he would come back later with help, but he never showed. Later that evening, she just jumped my fence and left.

I was afraid of this very thing happening. None of my dogs had ever shown any interest in getting out before, but females in heat cause problems. That's why I tried to get her gone before I left town last Thursday.

Now here I am out of state and my parents and brother-in-law are having to deal with the mess. My mom said it's been awful all weekend with the dogs hanging around and ours being stirred up.

I spent over $1500 to build a fence (not to mention Harley's labor) so that my dogs would stay where they belong. Mater is a sweet teddy bear of a dog that never hurts a thing. Now he's laying at the vets possibly near death because someone else couldn't keep their dog penned up.

I'm wondering what we're paying a dog catcher to do. And who we call when the dog catcher can't catch the dog?

City sets budget at $1,391,266

I went to the City of Snyder budget meeting Monday night, but I was about 10 minutes late (had an unexpected visitor at home) and they were already finished.

The council voted to adopt the $1,391,266 budget as proposed. I wonder what my granddad, who was mayor when I was born, would have said if you'd told him Snyder would one day have a budget over a million dollars?

The budget includes:
City Hall - $140,400
Animal Control - $11,120
Fire Department - $24,750
Street & Alley - $69,810
Park - $14,070
Police Department - $132,518
Swimming Pool - $37,650
Water & Sanitation - $899,948
Sewer Enterprise - $61,000

The meeting was held at the community building to accommodate public and citizen participation and comments before the vote. Sadly, the only ones present besides the council were Carol Middick from the Kiowa County Democrat and OT Brooks. One could say that Snyder citizens have so much faith in their council that they see no need to oversee it, but I'm afraid general apathy is more the cause. I find it very sad that people do not attend the council meetings. It's our city, our government and our responsibility to pay attention to what's going on.

People need to stop believing that the town will just always be here, providing a place for them to live while they spend their time shopping and eating and playing out of town. You are leaving the town in the hands of a few, expecting water to come out of your faucets and streets to be maintained and your trash to be hauled away, with no input whatsoever. Oh, wait, some do put in their "two cents" - in complaints to each other when they meet at the post office, or at church or school functions.

The new mayor and council appreciate hearing from citizens. You don't have to have a complaint to attend meetings. Being there to support the council is just as important.

We have a very good example of what happens when no one pays attention. Let's see what we can become with some support and participation and constructive criticism! Snyder is at a crossroads. It can continue to stagnate, or move forward. It's up to you.