Animals are at the forefront of controversies

The weather heating up, kids getting out of school and more people on the highway ... must mean summer is right around the corner.

For most these signs are obvious, with the basketball playoffs and baseball virtually the only things on television.

But for me I find this time of year good for something else - horse racing.

Though its tag of being an arena of "athletics" is not warranted (where's the ball?) I see this as very entertaining and quite enjoyable. For three late spring afternoons, viewers at Churchill Downs, Pimlico and Belmont Park along with others by television must hold their breath as three-year-old horses show flashes of their grace and majesty.

Meanwhile, others are looking for history.

Ever since Affirmed's sweep of Triple Crown races in 1978, several horses won the Kentucky Derby and the Preakness Stakes, the first two legs of the Triple Crown. Yet none of have been able to tame the Belmont Stakes.

Another horse will try its luck in a few weeks as Big Brown aims to place his name among other elite names like Citation and Secretariat. Even as the thoroughbred closes in on a potential date with destiny, public interest has been more on the horse that did not win.

Eight Belles sustained a leg injury shortly after crossing the finish line at this month's Kentucky Derby. She was euthanized moments later.

The horse was the second to die from injuries sustained at a Triple Crown race, following Barbaro in 2006.

Since her death, I have seen various calls for the competition to cease, ending hundreds of years of pageantry and tradition. At last weekend's Preakness Stakes in Baltimore, representatives from the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) came with signs in hand protesting the race.

Their protests do not come as a surprise to me as the organization's platform against the competition has been that whips along with the speed of the thoroughbreds cause unwanted stress on the animal as well as long-term wear and tear. Changes have been made in the past to appease those associated with PETA, but supporters of the organization continue.

Without a doubt, there will be more of the same at the Belmont Stakes on June 7.

While lines have been drawn between those for horse racing and those calling for its downfall, I unfortunately see something similar going on here in Cherokee County.

The recent upheaval about daily operations at the county's consolidated animal shelter have caused many to pick sides. The condition of the shelter along with certain procedures done at the facility have been called into question, now pulling county council into the fray.

Along with us here at The Ledger, various local media have seen the issue rise from a small quarrel into a fullblown argument.

Animals are again at the forefront and so it will be until a resolution is made.

Unfortunately, I am afraid this "peace treaty" will not last, causing more protests and public disapproval in the future.

While I cannot say I am necessarily a fan of those on either side, I do hope something can be done to satisfy everyone.

Joe L. Hughes II (joe@gaffneyledger.com) writes feature and enterprise stories for The Gaffney Ledger.