To the editor:

The Humane Society needlessly euthanizes many dogs every year. Yes, it could be that a dog living near a main road might find his way to the road and be run over. It is much more likely, however, that with minimal training the dog would be very grateful for his new home, be happy to stay close and live happily for years. A fenced yard does not guarantee that a dog will not escape and be killed.

A few years ago a perfectly healthy, gorgeous and well-adjusted male German shepherd was euthanized because no one with a fenced-in yard applied to adopt him. Several people, myself included, offered him a good home. We didn't have fenced yards, but we had excellent veterinary references. Even if the dog had been killed by a car within a year, wouldn't it have been better to let him live a year happy and loved than to be locked in a cage and then euthanized? This same scenario replays over and over.

CAROL STUCKEY

Benton, Mo.