How Dare He....

I witnessed something first hand this past weekend that will resinate with me for a very long time.   I have heard of this happening but never saw first hand, nor fathomed I would feel the way I did.

I made a trip to a local shelter to make some donations for some items they need.   I felt good going in knowing I was doing something to help the animals.   My good feeling was short lived.   As I went to the window there was a couple there with a sickly old dog on a leash.   It was obvious he was both old and sick.   He had an old gray face he swayed from side to side and was drooling.   His eyes met mine. I crouched down to say hello and he could barely lift his head to greet me, but he used just enough energy to meet my eyes.    I put my hand out and said, "Hey old boy whats wrong?"   I overheard the conversation between the shelter worker and the gentleman.   He said he wanted to leave his dog there. He knew he was old and sick and was soon going to die and did not want to have to take him to the pound.

I, being the shy person I am (sarcastically put), instantly exclaimed, "You are doing what?"  I went on further, "You are going to leave your 9 year old dog who is dying of cancer at the shelter because you don't want to have to take the dog to the vet yourself?"   He replied that it was cheaper at the pound.   I explained to him that I understood that but at least be there with the dog when he gets put down.   I went on further that his dog has been a family member for over nine years and now when the dog needed him the most he wanted to dump him.   I was so upset.

I looked into his dog's eyes and my heart broke.   I looked at my dog who went in with me to drop off the donation and she sensed that there was something not right with the shelter.   We were only a few steps in the front door and her normal "perky" ears and wagging tail immediately changed.  Her ears down, her back hunched and her tail between her legs.   I went on and told him to look at Abbie, my dog, and look how fearful she was and she was going no further than where we had stopped.   He did not respond.

I then told him to look in his dogs eyes and explain to him why he was dumping him.  He got a bit "huffy" yet I again got no response again.

How could someone do that...How dare he?

I cannot understand how someone can take their dog who they claim to have loved to the one place a dog fears most...a shelter.  I equate it to taking your mother to a run down old folks home and just leaving her there.  It happens as it does with animals at a shelter.   A shelter should be a last resort not a dumping ground for your beloved pet.    I understand financial strain and I understand that if the shelter can euthanize a dog for less money than a vet , but for heaven sakes let you be the last person your dog sees.   Every breathing moment he has loved you unconditionally.   It is the least you owe your pet.

As I  walked out of the shelter I stopped at the door and turned around and said "Hey...do humanity a favor and don't get another dog."

Some have said I was too harsh to this guy and others wholeheartedly understand and agree.  I guess once you work hands on in rescue one learns there is a fallacy with the statement "I took my dog to the pound because he/she is a bad dog."   The reality is the dog is not the one who is bad.   It is the human.

Animal abuse comes in many different forms.    Dumping your pet at a shelter for no apparent reason is cowardly and animal abuse as far as I am concerned.   Imagine nine years of a wagging tail and a loyal companion who loved you unconditionally every day.   His eyes were the first thing you saw in the morning and the last thing at night.   Then after all that he gives... your thanks to him is a long walk down a long corridor with a complete stranger and a shot ending his life.   No "thank you" for a great life, no nothing.   The last eyes he sees are those of a complete stranger.  Confused, scared and dazed he closes his eyes for the last time.

nodogaboutit.wordpress.com

I ask once again....Who is humanity's shame?

What is Animal Abuse (Cruelty)

Animal Abuse...I have never understood how there could be such a thing.

How is it some people who choose to have a pet in their family turn around and treat it in such a manner that it constitutes abuse?   An animal is not forced upon a person.  The person chooses to add a pet as an addition to their family.  It is really quite simple.... do not choose to add a pet to the family if you can not treat it in the manner in which it deserves to be.

It is my opinion that part of the problem is people have a differing opinion of what abuse is.  It would be safe to say that in most cases naiveté and lack of education are a major factor in people not knowing what constitutes animal abuse but sadly, some cases are people who are just plain cruel and heartless.

Animal Abuse can be catagorized in two ways;  Passive Cruelty (Acts of Omission) and Active Cruelty (Acts of Commission).

Information taken from Pet-Abuse.com

Simply put, passive cruelty is animal neglect.   It is not the act that is the crime it is the lack of the act is a crime. This is why passive cruelty is considered an Act of Omission.  These acts include starvation, dehydration, allowing a collar to be imbedded in their skin, parasite infestation and inadequate shelter in extreme conditions.   One act many do not see as abuse, but is quickly being added to laws as being so, is keeping your pets on a lead or chain outside for long periods of time.  This is the one type of abuse that can be attributed to lack of education, and therefore educating the abuser in many cases can cure the problem.

On the other hand, active cruelty, implies malicious intent.  This is where a person intentionally inflicts harm and pain.  A person who commits an act of active cruelty have got to be signs of psychological problems with regards to the perpetrator.   It has been noted that this type of crime has been linked to sociopathic behavior.

Some of the crimes of active cruelty are dog fighting, physical or sexual abuse to the animal, or using or killing the pet to intimidate their partner in a more severe case of domestic abuse.

Regardless the case intentional or unintentional the cases of animal abuse have increased and the amount of people being held accountable seems to be on the decrease.   Between the plea bargains abusers are given and the lacksidasical approach to animal abuse the perpetrators of these crimes look at what they are doing as nothing more than an inconvenience.

In many of these cases the victim, the animal, pays the price for the mistakes for the human who chose to "care" for them.   That in itself is what is wrong with animal abuse.

As in the case of dog fighting, more often than not, the dog is deemed as vicious and euthanized.  Yet those who commit the crimes are often given nothing more than a slap on the hands because the legality of animals being "property" and not "living creatures" seems to make the crime not as serious.

When I first saw the following video it was the epitome of my utter contempt for those who abuse animals.   Yes in these cases there is an animal... and it is not the dog.

                                        Peace For Dogs PSA on You Tube

Animal Abuse whether be neglect, intentional abuse or dogfighting must stop and laws must change to allow the punishment fit the crime where the perpetrator is the one who is held accountable and not the victim.

To Forgive Or Not To Forgive.....I say No Part 1

Two words, Michael Vick.

To some he is a sports hero, an icon, a man with a redemption story, and someone who overcame insurmountable odds.

To me and many others, he is a sociopath, a felon, a sick and twisted individual and a sadistic monster.  He is a man, I stand corrected, as no man would do this, admitted as a child that his first dogfight as a child excited him yet still knew it was cruel.  Yet here we are

The first dog fight- Clip from Piers Morgan interview 7/18/12 (You Tube)

I have yet to understand how a man who fights dogs, tortures them in the most horrific of ways, and does so for in his words, "the adrenaline rush of it" become a hero?

But to some he has, to others he is a monster.  There is no middle ground when it comes to Michael Vick.

What can we say about our society when that is the caliber of a human being that people want to look up to and allow their children to look up to?  I for one am disappointed.   Are the sins of this man forgotten because he can throw a football?   This is what constitutes a hero in our society?  To the sports world it does.

You never hear anyone in the NFL arena speak the truth of what Michael Vick did.   It was not just dogfighting as they suggest.  The time he served in prison was because he lied to the grand jury and bank rolled a dog fighting operation.  Furthermore contrary to popular belief he NEVER served one day for what he did to those dogs.   The truth will not go away because someone refuses to tell it.  The truth of what Michael Vick did to those dogs will always be there.

Michael Vick Indictment

The proof is in court documents.  No one made up the things he did.  The "hero" who puts his hands on the football every Sunday... those are the same hands that held a dog's head down in water until it drowned, and the same hands that held on to the legs of a dog along with Quantis Phillips and repeatedly swung the dog over his head bashing its head to the ground over and over until it was dead.

For those of you who do not know you ask,  Why?   The reason, because they would not fight.  Unless they could fight they were useless to him.

Here is a quote from the Lost Dogs, a book written by Jim Gorant.  A book that documents the truth from the beginning to the end of the case against Michael Vick.  After reading it you will realize the real victims and the true hero's were the dogs and those who rescued them.

As [the little red dog] lay on the ground fighting for air, Quanis Phillips grabbed its front legs and Michael Vick grabbed its hind legs. They swung the dog over their head like a jump rope then slammed it to the ground. The first impact didn't kill it. So Phillips and Vick slammed it again. The two men kept at it, alternating back and forth, pounding the creature against the ground, until at last, the little red dog was dead.

Michael Vick is the epitome of Humanity's Shame

The Lost Dogs

Just a Dog

I have often been ridiculed because of my desire to help animals in need.   "What is the big deal" is what I often hear.  "It is just a dog" is their rationale to the abuse these animals must endure.

Animal abuse has been condoned for so long and pets have been looked upon as property.  This should not the case.

When a family makes the decision that they want a pet it should be because they want that pet as a family member.   These animals are not meant to be lawn ornaments who are chained and left outside. Nor are they disposable to be abused, tossed aside or left in the shelter because they just do not want the dog anymore.

These are living breathing creatures who have feelings and feel pain.  These are animals who want to be loved and love right back.  They do not judge you because of your weight, race or religion, and they do not care about your political preference.  They love you for you unconditionally plain and simple.

But somewhere along the line people have seemed to lose sight of that.   From professional football players who commit the most horrific crimes against these animals to the disgruntled spouse who feels murdering their family pet is a productive way to win an argument is sadly becoming more prevalent.

Thank goodness for the animal rescue community who fervently work together to rescue these animals and fight for laws that are starting to hold those who commit the crimes accountable for their actions instead of having animal abuse be looked at like a petty crime.  Yet any animal advocate will tell you it is not them who rescue these animals, it is the animals that rescue them.

In short Humanity's Shame is the human holding the leash not the animal on the other end of it.

Taken from Google Images