This month's February cover is deliberate. St. Francis de Sales is known for encouraging Valentine’s Day. And St. Francis of Assisi is associated with patronage of animals. Both encouraged love! Now more than ever, we must love dogs – especially strays. The growing stray dog populations are impacting cities across the U.S. – including, Lubbock! While there is no 'easy answer' to the growing number of strays, this is an issue that requires more public responsibility and involvement. The supply of stray dogs greatly outweighs the demand to be adopted or cared for. Lubbock Animal Services (LAS) needs the public's help to lowering the stray population. On average this past quarter, 150 more animals were brought into the LAS in comparison to this same time last year. Is it a problem? Yes! While many encourage pet adoption, strays and pets alike need to be spayed and neutered. LAS has programs for those who can’t afford to get them fixed and thank goodness for the P.E.T.S. Clinic of Lubbock, a low-cost spay-and-neu
