"Unless you have worked at Madacc you shouldnt bash them. And if you have worked there and still want to bash them then why didnt you try to do some of the things that are being mentioned you cant call a kettle black when you didnt try neither."

I copied this comment (bad grammar and lack of punctuation included) from a Facebook page in response to my criticism of MADACC.

I have been trying to educate the public about the 50% plus kill rate at Milwaukee Area Domestic Animal Control Commission (MADACC)  and encourage citizens to get involved in making change in their community.

So back to the Facebook comment above. This goes into my pile of lame defenses of shelter killing. Really? I am a taxpayer and I am not allowed to criticize how my tax dollars are spent? I am a donor to privately-funded shelters and I am not allowed to know how my money is spent? Because I don't work there? 

I would like to ask the writer of the comment - Has she never objectively criticized her snow removal? Or the potholes in town? Or the wasteful spending of the government? Because she is not a snowplow driver, or a roads worker, or a politician? Then I consider her a poor citizen who is not doing her civic duty to hold government agencies accountable for their actions.

Even private entities are subject to criticism. This is how they improve. I will never be a medical doctor,  but that doesn't mean I don't objectively review credentials before I choose which doctor I will entrust with my medical care. I carefully scrutinize my veterinarians before I entrust my dogs' health to them, yet I will never be a vet. I read restaurant reviews and watch for public health violations when I am choosing where I eat, yet I don't work in a restaurant.

So yes, Ms. Facebook commenter. I and every other citizen of this nation has the right to observe, critique and comment on the operations at their local animal shelter. Sorry to burst your bubble.

If every animal shelter in the United States embraced the No Kill philosophy and the programs and services that make it possible, we would save nearly four million dogs and cats who are scheduled to die in shelters this year, and the year after that. It is not an impossible dream." - Nathan Winograd