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Sat 28 Nov, 2009 12:32 am
Context:
DEAR ABBY: I am writing in regard to the letter from "On the Fence in Nevada" (Sept. 11)(whose mother-in-law dumped her grandchildren's cat on the side of the road). I work as an animal safety officer for the sheriff's office, and I also volunteer for a local animal nonprofit.
There has been an increase in pet dumping as the economy has worsened. While the information you offered was accurate, there are many other reasons not to abandon an animal. What "Loretta" did was illegal. It's called animal endangerment, animal abuse or animal abandonment. Because the cat did not belong to her, she could also have been brought up on charges of theft. Such charges can carry heavy fines and jail time. "On the Fence" should know that there are local organizations that can help her brother-in-law by providing temporary foster care for his pet until he can get back on his feet. Their members are people who will want the cat in their home and who will love it and look after it.-- DAWN IN COLORADO
@oristarA,
A person who is on the fence is in the midst of making a decision and can see the pros and cons of both sides and has not yet decided which side they will finally choose or come down on. If you think about it literally, it means they are on the fence without taking a stand (placing their feet) on the ground on either side of it.
Sometimes people also say :
'I'm still up in the air about that.' It means the same thing:
Quote:Up in the air - English Idiom Definition. ... If a matter is up in the air, no decision has been made and there is uncertainty about it. ...
Also, in this case, On the Fence happens to be the name being used by the correspondent referred to by the letter writer.
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