Days, hours, minutes left until execution.....
I just read this this morning about a new website that works with various shelters across the country posting how much time an animal has left until they are "executed" for a crime they did not commit. Without trial or jury, we are the only ones that can save them. First by educating others about adoption vs. purchasing from breeders....second by teaching others to become responsible pet owners. To have a fence, use a leash, and spay and neuter.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20071014/ap_on_re_us/canine_countdown;_ylt=Au6lnbRsgIiNPaMtvN7RaOis0NUE
This quote is SO true:
"It's not the fault of the shelters," said Alex Aliksanyan, a pet adoption advocate who made money in the Internet travel business. "They don't like doing this, but they have to abide by the law, which requires a shelter to control its animal population."
It's NOT the fault of the kill shelters. I don't blame them. It's almost as horrible or maybe even worse to let a dog or cat sit in a shelter for years and years (in prison). "No-Kill" shelters that keep animals in cages for absurd amounts of time are not the solution either. It is the fault of people, humans, all of us. There's a reason so many end up in shelters.....the only ones NOT to blame are the animals themselves. WE can do better. I know I try to. Every single day....but it's not enough. Not until we bring the "murder" rate down....way way down and stop treating animals as possesions that are dispossable, returnable, or as something other then a member of the family. It starts with education.
It's NOT the fault of the kill shelters. I don't blame them. It's almost as horrible or maybe even worse to let a dog or cat sit in a shelter for years and years (in prison). "No-Kill" shelters that keep animals in cages for absurd amounts of time are not the solution either. It is the fault of people, humans, all of us. There's a reason so many end up in shelters.....the only ones NOT to blame are the animals themselves. WE can do better. I know I try to. Every single day....but it's not enough. Not until we bring the "murder" rate down....way way down and stop treating animals as possesions that are dispossable, returnable, or as something other then a member of the family. It starts with education.
I completely agree and think it's worth repeating.
It's NOT the fault of the kill shelters. I don't blame them. It's almost as horrible or maybe even worse to let a dog or cat sit in a shelter for years and years (in prison). "No-Kill" shelters that keep animals in cages for absurd amounts of time are not the solution either. It is the fault of people, humans, all of us. There's a reason so many end up in shelters.....the only ones NOT to blame are the animals themselves. WE can do better. I know I try to. Every single day....but it's not enough. Not until we bring the "murder" rate down....way way down and stop treating animals as possesions that are dispossable, returnable, or as something other then a member of the family. It starts with education.
I completely agree and think it's worth repeating.
Very true and ditto.
Very well put, Dave.
This kind of reminds me of this weekend when I was driving down the highway and saw a trailer full of cattle. I am not sure if they were going to slaughter but I am assuming that they were. A wave of sadness overcame me as I thought that those poor cows were never going to see another day again and they didn't even know it. I can't believe that people can be so cruel to animals, I know it happens, I just don't understand how people can be so detached to the feelings of other living creatures. It is both a curse and a gift to have so much compasion I guess.
just seeing my dog provokes random people to (whine with me now) "I want a dog too"! I immediately go on to explain all the difficulties (read:: expensive) that will come along with the responsibilities of the dog. Like when my kleine decided to eat the remote control & needed to be x-rayed & umm puked, or when she gets sick from being a katrina rescue (Lung Fungus- Hi Dave!).
I had a neighbor that did exactly this. Got a dog... Aww cute! Her dog & my dog were BFFS. Sweet. But guess who took care of HER dog? Me! A call or text every other night bc she would "work" until after 10pm. It wasn't the dogs fault so I'd do it... Oh & feed the cat too. I'd generally bring the dog over to my place so the girls could hang together & the poor thing wouldn't sit in a dark apartment all by herself. heartbreaking. Even worse? she eventually did give the dog away to a "farm". Broke my Luda's heart...
needed to rant.
I so understand! A couple living here decided their two under-5 kids "needed" a dog (to go with the "perfect family" image, I suppose), so they went out and bought...a miniature Schnauzer. Nothing against the breed, but with 2 rambunctious toddlers that kept them "so tired" they couldn't keep their word to anyone, is this a good idea? We won't even discuss the fact that they bought it from a superstore petshop, which here translates as "puppy mill." I went over, gave them basic training instruction and the talk (which I could see was going over their heads, or do I mean like water off a duck's back) about the need for neutering and "The Promise"--the one that reads, when you take on a pet you are making a promise for that animal's lifetime to take care of it and love it. Their job requires that out of every 3 yrs they spend 6 mos in Australia, where they're from. I asked them what they would do with Max during that time. They were "sure it would be fine", they could find someone to look after him. They tried to talk me into taking the dog on for that time, which went nowhere. (If I'd thought it fair to keep a dog in this tiny third-floor apartment, I'd already have one, thank you. Since I don't, it's a measure of how unkind I think it would be.) They left Max (still un-neutered) with their next door neighbours. Surprise, surprise...not 2 mos after they left, Max was reported missing, "run away." I wonder. Spanish people are notorious for saying, "Oh, we had a cat/dog/hampster/parrot, but we had to give it away." Why? Because they wanted to go on vacation and couldn't/didn't want to take it along, or because it made a mess, or chewed something, or barked all night...or because it simply grew up and stopped being the cute stuffed toy they thought it would be, and required a little money spent on its upkeep.
Dogs are living proof that unconditional love exists. So sad that some of them come up against owners who are unaware of the concept.
OK; my rant's done. Sorry.
I just read this this morning about a new website that works with various shelters across the country posting how much time an animal has left until they are "executed" for a crime they did not commit. Without trial or jury, we are the only ones that can save them. First by educating others about adoption vs. purchasing from breeders....second by teaching others to become responsible pet owners. To have a fence, use a leash, and spay and neuter.
I completely agree with this. The main key to solving the root of the problem is educating people not to buy from breeders, have a fence, use a leash, and to spay and neuter (basically, exactly what you wrote ::)). A breeding ban would be helpful, too, but I won't go into that--that's material for a different thread :-X.
It's NOT the fault of the kill shelters. I don't blame them. It's almost as horrible or maybe even worse to let a dog or cat sit in a shelter for years and years (in prison). "No-Kill" shelters that keep animals in cages for absurd amounts of time are not the solution either.
The Kill/No-Kill issue drives me crazy. Though in my HEART I want to advocate no-kill, I can't fully, because my mind hasn't been totally made up about it. Killing anything that is healthy goes against all my principles about animals lately. And yet, I know what you are saying about how it may be worse for the animal to languish in a shelter for years. I've volunteered at kill shelters for both domestic pets and wildlife. It is heartbreaking and horrible. I think some shelters go a little overboard with this, and some of the workers become a bit desensitized by euthanizing so many animals every day. There's a part of me that thinks euthanizing animals perpetuates the idea that it is okay to "play God" in the lives of animals, which is what got us in this dilemma in the first place. We don't go around killing homeless people because they are miserable without food, water, and shelter. Granted, I understand that there is a difference--humans are causing this trouble with the pet population, and therefore it is our responsibility to fix it. I'm not saying you're wrong...at all. I'm just saying it is such a tough call. I haven't thought/read enough about the issue to say one way or another whether kill shelters are the BEST option. Just being honest here. Sometimes it takes time for me to make a decision like this--just like how I didn't become vegan overnight, I guess.
I had a neighbor that did exactly this. Got a dog... Aww cute! Her dog & my dog were BFFS. Sweet. But guess who took care of HER dog? Me! A call or text every other night bc she would "work" until after 10pm. It wasn't the dogs fault so I'd do it... Oh & feed the cat too. I'd generally bring the dog over to my place so the girls could hang together & the poor thing wouldn't sit in a dark apartment all by herself. heartbreaking. Even worse? she eventually did give the dog away to a "farm". Broke my Luda's heart...
That's exactly what I mean about people treating their pets as "dispossable" items instead of loving, living creatures. Your neighbor never should have had a dog in the first place. Time after time I hear about people giving up pets when moving, or meeting a new b/f g/f that does not like dogs/cats, etc. Would they give up their kids? Obviously not. My ex was just telling me last week that one of her customers came in with a new dog. She told her that her neighbor across the street was moving to AZ. and when she asked them how they were going to get their lab mix "Sandee" out there.....they told here that the apartment they were moving into does not allow pets.... and it may take them a few months to find a house they want to purchase...so they were going to go to the vet and have her euthanized!!!! They had her for 3 years already. How can you not have such a strong bond with an animal after 3 years?! Or 3 months even?! Well....her customer begged them for the dog, and luckily it ended happily. Obviously the dog now has a much better home. Imagine what would have happened to poor Sandee if she never saw them or even asked her question to them. Some people really are the "Grinch".... they were born with a heart 2 sizes too small (or maybe none at all)!....you can only hope that in the end...that they will have a life alterting "event" in their lives and grow their heart and realize how awful and wrong they've been towards pets and even animals in general their whole lives. You have to think that if many of us can change SO much... to become vegan (or veggie) from a previous life of eating meat...maybe there is still hope for some to change.
Some people really are the "Grinch".... they were born with a heart 2 sizes too small (or maybe none at all)!
You are so right Dave. In the "none at all" category, I am reminded of my former sister-in-law's Saluki. The dog (18 months) was brought into a veterinary office by its owner and the owner asked the vet to euthanize the dog because he hadn't been able to train it. The vet tried to talk him out of it and offered to keep the dog and find it a home, but he wanted the "worthless animal dead". The vet took his money, but couldn't bring himself to kill the dog. They kept the dog at the office for several months before my former sister-in-law took a tech job there and they happily let her have him. He was trained within a couple of months and lived a long and happy life. I personally think the original owner should have been euthanized.
I personally think the original owner should have been euthanized.
Yeah, you know, I have no problem with that.
Has anyone seen the movie Idiocracy? We need to clean up humanity's gene pool anyway. ;)
There was something on another site about how someone got his dogs from a pet store. You inspired me to write about the easy ways to find pets in local shelters. Hopefully someone reads it and gives it a try over a pet store.
I personally think the original owner should have been euthanized.
Yeah, you know, I have no problem with that.
Has anyone seen the movie Idiocracy? We need to clean up humanity's gene pool anyway. ;)
As Sneaky Pye Brown says in Rita Mae Brown's books, any animal with offspring that seriously imbalanced would euthanise them, why don't humans?
All of your stories make me soooo angry and sad. i can't stand it whenever someone tells me that they want a dog and want such and such a breed, and talk about how expensive they are... when there are millions of aniimals killed each year because they have no where to go. it just breaks my heart.
my sister's first dog was deemed "difficult to place" and prob wouldnt have lasted much longer in the shelter.
and my own little hot dog, midge, was literally hours away from being put down for being "vicious". wtf? she was in a strange place w/ a copiious number of dogs and smells!.. thankfully, a wonderful rescuer came by for another small dog, and she ended up taking 4. i cant imagine my life (or lack of sanity) w/o my dog.
All of your stories make me soooo angry and sad. i can't stand it whenever someone tells me that they want a dog and want such and such a breed, and talk about how expensive they are... when there are millions of aniimals killed each year because they have no where to go. it just breaks my heart.
my sister's first dog was deemed "difficult to place" and prob wouldnt have lasted much longer in the shelter.
and my own little hot dog, midge, was literally hours away from being put down for being "vicious". wtf? she was in a strange place w/ a copiious number of dogs and smells!.. thankfully, a wonderful rescuer came by for another small dog, and she ended up taking 4. i cant imagine my life (or lack of sanity) w/o my dog.
And there are SOO many breed specific shelter rescues! They have from puppy to adults. You can get that Great Dane or poodle or pit bull or chihuhua you've always wanted. Because chances are; there are already a ton that need homes! I am preferentail to certain breeds, but you can always find your "perfect" companion as a rescue, not a purchase. I think people that rescue tend to think a little bit more about keeping that animal for life, whereas maybe the people that buy feel "entitled" to do whatever they want with it when it becomes a burden. Again...most people suck.
I personally think the original owner should have been euthanized.
Yeah, you know, I have no problem with that.
Has anyone seen the movie Idiocracy? We need to clean up humanity's gene pool anyway. ;)
OMG! I love that movie!! It is so stupid funny and so true!