There is an old cliche: No good deed goes unpunished. When area residents try to do the right thing by helping a lost, injured or distressed animal, that old cliche can become all too true.
In recent months, several dogs and cats have been helped by Good Samaritans who reached out instinctively to help. For them, the priority is to handle the immediate need, and worry about the rest later.
Several area animals are in need of broader assistance from the public, however. They were taken in off busy streets, found wandering and lost in the neighborhood, injured in accidents or are simply excess baggage for an uncaring family.