I am constantly amazed and horrified at folks who get tired of their pets and decide to dump them off in the country. Yesterday morning, I saw a dog at our back gate, but it didn't stay long when my two dogs started barking. A few hours later, as I was going to town, I saw this poor thing lying by the side of the road. I stopped, but he wouldn't let me approach him. On my return trip, he was still there, lying in the shade, so I fetched him some water and dry food - for which he was grateful. I brought him home with me and discovered he was covered in cheat grass and ticks, and his coat had been damaged by too much exposure to sun. I've taken him to be neutered, bathed and de-ticked, and hope my rescue friend can find a home for him. I don't know how many dogs have been dumped near my place in the last 20 years - probably more than 20. I've taken on 6-7 of these castoffs. And, cats, too. What really pisses me off is the person who gets what turns out to be a throw-away pet and refuses to take responsibility for it. And folks who do not spay and neuter their domestic animals. We get puppies and kittens dumped here, too...puppies and kittens from dump-offs. Where is our sense of morality and responsibility? Marty
thmarty, I was just about to shut this down and saw your post. We have 5 chihuahua/terrier mix dogs. The mom and Dad, and three siblings from different litters. THEN we saw Jax, he was sitting along side the country road chasing cars and no houses in sight. After my husband got off of work at 3:30 PM he came home and told me about the dog sitting there all alone. Well, we went there and Jax[the name we gave him] was still there, but didn't bother to get up this time. It was hotter than blue-blazes that day and we had severe storms that night. It took a little work to get his trust but we finally got Jax into the car. That was over 2 months ago, and he is part of the Pack. He is twice as tall, but he loves the gang. I know what you are saying, how could anyone be so cruel?! PTJ
OMG............ You get a pet for there liftime........... This pet is NOW a MEMBER of your family. No options here......... no matter if I rent, or own, my Skyleah is a tenant, or owner!!!
Several years ago, we heard what car stop out front and then a dog yipe. We thought someone hit a dog, so we went out to see what happened (it was 2AM) - the car sped away so we looked for the dog. What we found was a little female Lab puppy hiding under a tree - they had thrown the puppy out of the car. The puppy was very afraid and obviously had been abused. As we brought the puppy in I said to my wife - We are not keeping this dog!(we already had two others)
We had Nelly for 12 more year before she died two years ago. She was a great friend, although she always was afraid if you touched her front paws, from her abuse as a puppy.
How can people be that cruel to a loving animal? Thanks for the post.
I get so furious when something like this happens and, it happens all the time. Until the laws are changed to make it more difficult for idiots to own animals it will continue. I would like to see the laws changed in the following ways:
Breeders must have a license and the license cost should be high enough to discourage backyard breeding. For example: Perhaps a breeder should initially have to pay $5000.00 for the license and be inspected on a regular basis with a license renewal fee of, say, $1000 or so every couple of years. And the breeding license fee should be per breed. The registration papers for the animals would have to include the breeders license number. I think something like this would discourage casual breeding. I haven't thought of how to handle show animals, but that could be worked out.
Pet owners should be required to spay/neuter their pets, unless they had a breed specific license. We had a serious breeder who charged people a refundable fee when they took their puppy home. She had an agreement with our vets to give the new puppy owner a discount on the remaining puppy shots and the spay/neuter. She had certificates printed up that the vet completed when the surgery took place. The owners then brought her the certificate and were refunded the money. I think she gave them back $100 or $150. I'm not sure.
A convicted abuser should be put on a list so that they can never be allowed to own a pet again. Then the convict should have to volunteer for at least a year in his/her spare time at an animal shelter. That's after they get out of jail ofcourse.
Anyone dumping an animal should be beaten with a baseball bat. I know, Iam, but it's the first thing that always pops in my mind when I hear about something that pisses me off. I've never acted on the thought, but there's always a first time. ;~)
I'm sure I can think up lots more, but it's early yet and my brain isn't completely woken up.
God bless you for doing what you did. I've had numerous cats over the years that have been dropped off to fend for themselves, and ended up staying in my family. The last was a beautiful part-Siamese who followed my around the barn, but was too afraid to come into the house. This kitty had already been spayed, so was obviously owned by someone in the past. When she was finally trusting enough to be introduced to the other cats and dog in the house, she became a permanent resident, and is now quite happy to be inside. I'll never know how someone could be so cruel as to have a pet and then let it go without the benefit of knowing what its fate will be, but it's a common story, unfortunately. I would like to believe that animals sometimes have a guardian angel that looks after them, but I agonize over the ones who never find a home.
Jax nails had been recently trimmed when we found him yet he was quite dehydrated. And you are right, he is a member of our family now. He suffers from seperation anxiety when I leave for even a few minutes. He loves to play with his ball and play with the other dogs, he is a big sweetie.
Some people have no conscience when it comes to animals, they see them as a nuisance or just as something to be gotten rid of when the novelty wears off. I belong to several animal rights groups and the letters I get asking for donations hurt my heart. I just cannot fathom how anyone can abuse a little helpless puppy or kitten or dispose of an adult dog or cat just because they feel like it. Thanks goodness for kind-hearted people like yourself.
There was an article in our local newspaper recently about a woman that had 66 cats in her house along with a few rabbits and dogs. We have a great SPCA in this area, they had put an article in the paper a week before this that they had a large number of cats. Now they have a lot more, minus of course the poor animals that had to be put down as the woman did not properly care for them. The SPCA is one of my favorite charities to not only donate money and pet food but also towels and blankets. Any time I or my husband go in there it is always very clean, no odor at all and the animals are clean and well cared for. We all need to say a special thanks to these great folks that work with these pets.
Amen, Mabel. The problem with being someone who takes in all strays is that a person can easily get overwhelmed because they are everywhere and which one do you say no to? That's how someone gets 66 cats, her heart was probably in the right place, but no one can take care of so many animals without lots of help. I so admire those who take in and care for animals properly and my heart really goes out to those who get overwhelmed, they don't mean to do anything but good, but they end up doing more damage. The first place anyone should look for a pet is the local animal shelter, there are so many waiting for their forever home. The shelters always appreciate old towels, blankets, newspapers, etc. They are also grateful for any monetary donations people can give. Responsible animal ownership is the key to lowering the overcrowded population of dogs and cats. Unfortunately I think that will only happen when extremely strict regulations/penalities are established to for those of us who want to own pets.
