ANIMAL OUTRAGE!!!! GRRRRRrr vent

[Star*]

It's NO secret that my dogs are like furry children to me. They are K-9 and they are given all the creature comforts of very spoiled dogs, but we've never treated our dogs - like "dogs". They are family. They sleep inside, they have toys, playtime, treats, regular doctor checkups, shots, preventative medicines for heartworm and fleas/ticks. They are brushed, loved, talked to and cherished.

I also know that times are tough, rescues are OVERflowing with abandoned dogs, turn-ins, and fosters for them are also at the brink of record numbers. But what chaps my kiester is people in our neighborhood.

The man behind us has had a dog on a short 3' chain for TWO YEARS. TWO YEARS in all weather - 110 heat, 12 degree cold and frost, rain, mud...on a chain with no more than a wooden BOX for shelter. This year I couldn't take it and purchased some straw and we told the man that someone at work had given it to me - our dogs aren't outside dogs. When DF went to deliver the straw for this poor soul - he saw 4 more dogs tied up in the same manner and PUPPIES!!!!!! (DF's head nearly blew off). The straw we gave? They put 3 or 4 handfulls out of a 50lb bale in the box and that was it. Poor fella - every morning - laying in the dirt. ME? Furious.

The other night we're coming home from shopping, and a dog crossed in front of our car from out of the woods. I clutched my chest - I thought it was Pootie. On second look? It could have been her twin brother. HE has two patches over his eyes. He ran off, scared, skinny and cold. That was 2 weeks ago. Last night we came back from taking Dude home and there he was in our yard. I clutched my heart again thinking Pootie got out. But no....it was our fella. DF took some food and water out and set it in the woods to start to gain this fellas trust so we can get him and find him a good home.

As DF walked back in the house? I heard the gun shots from a .22 and they were right beind our house - right where this man lives that we gave the straw to for his.....DOG WITH PATCHES OVER BOTH EYES THAT LOOKS LIKE POOTIE....OMG it's HIS dog.....and he's shooting at it? We were furious. DF took off in a fast crippled walk, cane and all down the road. He walked to the edge of the property to see if this man had truly shot at his own dog. WHAT a moron. I can't fault the dog...no one ever played with him, talked to him, brushed him or anything - just left on a chain for years and wouldn't allow US to walk it either - he was "toughening" him up so he'd be like OUR dogs. OMG you idiot - our dogs are treated well and social and trained!!!!!!!!ARGH are people really this stupid?

So now I will make another trip to the pound to rent yet ANOTHER dog cage.....so that I can catch this fella - because his owner is an idiot.

PLEASE spay or neuter if you can - OMG you can't believe the record number of dogs and cats that are being put to sleep EVERY day - our local shelter has been "humanely" euthanizing about the number of dogs and kittens and cats and puppies each day that they used to do in a week.

No one is adopting - shelters are overfilled.

If you have an animal shelter close and can? Please consider donating newspaper, towels, blankets, dog food, kitty litter.

If I catch my neighbor shooting his dog? Someone is going to need to donate BAIL money for him (or DF) not sure.

I just needed to get this off my chest. I come home every night to three loving, beautiful, soulful creatures that think I'm just the best person in their world and I hope I never disappoint them in their thoughts.
If you have a little moment please keep our fella stray dog in your thoughts and ask the powers that be to let him come to our home for rescue.

Thanks -

 

[Hound dog]

We've seen a steep increase in the number of strays in the neighborhood as well. Although our dog warden isn't worth the second it just took me to type his title. grrrr Nor is our humane society (a joke). Our pound is a garage (no insulation) filled with dog grates. Pathetic. At least he won't put to sleep any dog under a year old. He finds no kill rescue groups for them. So I guess he's not a complete piece of dung.

I'm not just feeding Willie outside, I've got about 5 other cats that are eating with him and sharing the dog house filled with straw shelter on the front porch. Willie is fat and sassy, I doubt he minds. Took me a bit, but I finally have Rowdy settled for the cold. Plus he has his crate inside for those bitter nasty days or nights.

I've fed a few stray dogs lately. Maybe I shouldn't but when it's frigid and their thin and cowering, what am I gonna do? Can't get the warden to pick them up, can't gain their trust enough to take them in. I can't afford it, but can't stand by and watch an animal starve to death either. My girls and Rowdy are supplemented by scraps from the table. Won't hurt them to share.

It's awful. That pitbull that attacked Rowdy.....poor thing is still tied out with a broken down old shatty type shack (more open holes that building) as shelter sitting in the mud and snow. Nothing was done. Turned them in, still nothing done. And the idiots added a puppy out there too. He's also tied out.

What is wrong with people? Even easy child is feeding a new group of stray cats and providing shelter for them. She's about to take one female in to be fixed, just because she's afraid she'll have a litter this winter. And it's not even her cat!

 

[tiredmommy]

Prayers being said for those poor dogs! Our local SPCA recently took in a dog from Hamilton, ONT that has a fractured leg because the monster that owned her thought kicking her into submission was training. They also accepted in a dozen or so pups from a severely overcrowded shelter.

Other things to consider donating are unused animal medications and first aid supplies. Thousands of animals are euthanized yearly with treatable injuries and illnesses, but the shelter vet techs' lack the resources to properly treat the animals.

 

[klmno]

You said it, Star- what a moron. I have never understood why people like that continue to get more animals. I hope you or another rescue group can get that poor dog.

I'm glad you reminded me of the donations that these places need. difficult child and I didn't do any community service or food donations through the holidays like we've always done, due to finances and his psychiatric hospital stay and his issues in general. But, the things they need are not even cost items many times so I can gather up some things and take them to the spca or the animal shelter or humane society. Thanks for bringing that up Star and TM!

Our spca hands out a list with items they could use and things like old towels, toys we've gotten that our dogs didn't like, etc., could easily be put in a bag and dropped off. I never thought about first aid supplies, but that's a good point, too.

 

[GoingNorth]

Geesh. I just got off the phone from consoling my BFF. Her Maine Coon cat (from the last litter from my cattery) died of cancer yesterday...he passed away in his carrier on the way to the vet for a treatment review.

She feels horrible because she didn't have the money to get him chemo and radiation treatments

The cancer started in his jawbone and had already spread to his lungs by the time it was found.

The cat lived out his life in a home full of love and laughter and light.

I've only got two pets these days, a German Shepherd who will be my last big dog because my health issues prevent me from picking him up. He has spinal stenosis (as do I), and a "Siamese-oid" rescue kitty.

He looks like an American Shorthair with the stocky body and short legs, but he's marked like a (very dark) bluepoint Siamese. I have no idea of his age nor his ancestry beyond there having been a Siamese in the woodpile.

I fostered him from the shelter when he was sick and he just wound up sticking around.

He and the dog are bonded and you haven't seen funny until you've seen a 90 lb German Shepherd and a 12lb cat playing together.

I've done a lot of shelter volunteer work, both here and overseas, and what I've seen would sicken you

 

[donna723]

Star, I'm furious right along with you! That's exactly the way I got my little mixed breed, Freebie. When I lived out in the country, people were constantly dumping off dogs, most of them young, ALL of the female. They don't spay their dogs, so the dogs have puppies, their kids play with the puppies, then when they're old enough to be coming into heat, they take the females out and dump them! They think "some nice person" will take them in! Freebie came in to my yard in the dead of winter, starving, almost frozen, and terrified of everything! There was no animal shelter here then and I didn't feed her at first because if I fed every stray, I'd have dozens of them! She stayed anyway and slept in my carport. I started leaving her food and water but as badly as she wanted it, she was too afraid to come close to me. As soon as I'd leave, she'd come and gobble it up. I fed her twice a day for two weeks before she'd let me touch her, and then I had to trick her in to it! The first night she followed me inside and slept in the warm house was a major victory!

I've had her for eight years now and she's beautiful. She's twice the size she was then, has a gorgeous full soft coat and bright eyes. She's just now starting to get a little gray around her eyes and mouth. But she's still afraid of everyone but me. And she's still terrified of loud noises, storms and thunder. These people think that someone will just take the dog in apparently believe it means just a little more dog food in the bowl! Yeah, right! With Freebie, I paid for her spay, her shots and other medical needs and her license, and I paid the vet bills to get rid of the worms that were killing her. And when she broke a leg, it was me that paid for surgery to fix it good as new! So now she has two 'sisters' to play with, her own recliner to sleep in at night, the best food on the market, and Santa Claus brings her toys every Christmas.

I think there was a reason that she came in to MY yard and not somebody elses. Maybe because she knew there were other dogs there or she just knew somehow that I would help her. For whatever reason, she picked me to ask for help. And I think this little one has probably picked YOU for the same reasons. If he's really frightened, you may have to be very patient. If you have an extra crate, maybe you could put the food and water in the crate so he'd have to go in it to eat, and then slowly get him used to you being near. It doesn't take them long to figure out that you can be trusted. I think they instinctively know that they have to depend on someone, and deciding to trust you is a leap of faith on their part. Good luck with him.

And if DF ever ends up confronting his former 'owner', tell him to get at least one good one in for ME!

 

[ThreeShadows]

Star, this world is a better place for having you and husband. I too believe that strays know what home to choose, we have been adopted by a gorgeous Maine coon and the most loving black cat (he talks to us and I can actually hear the question marks at the end of his sentences!). Both had been neutered already, strange...who dumps a cat after bothering to spend the neutering fee?
Our third kitty had been dumped on the steps of the ASPCA right after his birth along with his littermates.
Makes you wonder how these people treat their kids.

 

[ML]

This is a heartbreaking story. I can't imagine anyone treating animals this way. It is a true test of our humanity how we treat animals. These creatures are perpetually innocent and trusting and provide true unconditional love. I will make it a point to donate to our shelter this winter. My biggest regret is that we live in a townhouse with no yard and that I can't adopt one. ML

 

[donna723]

I've never understood either why some people have dogs. Right across the street from my back yard there's a guy that has two dogs - I don't know these people at all. They seem like nice enough dogs, don't bark a lot, don't seem to be at all aggressive or threatening, no real problem with them. But for several YEARS now these two dogs have lived in seperate small chain link pens in the back yard. There is no grass in the pens, just mud, and they each have a little wooden thing that could generously be called a 'dog house' - more of a beat up wooden box. I've never seen anyone beat or abuse the dogs, they obviously are fed and watered regularly and their wooden boxes qualify as 'shelter', so legally they aren't being abused. But nobody pays attention to them at all other than dumping food in a bowl! They're just 'there' in their wire pens, like little concentration camp victims! They can't even play with each other because they're in seperate pens. When it rains, the pens are nothing but mud. They're out there whether it's 100 degrees or it's 10 degrees with a foot of snow on the ground. And in all this time I have NEVER seen anyone play with either dog, take them out of the pen to be exercised, or let in to the house when the weather is bad! I feel so bad for them. So why do these people get dogs in the first place?

 

[Star*]

Update on Dr. Kimball -(the fugitive) lol.....that df what a piece of work.

He's eating regularly. We liked your idea Donna of a crate with comforts in it - but we don't have a crate - I have an XXX breed cage - I got for Pootie, but I'm a little leary of putting it on our wooded property - it will be gone, and Dr. Kimball has taken to sleeping in the leaf and pinestraw pile behind our home. For now at least he's fed and watered.

Going North - I've been working or rather volunteering with humane societies since I was about 8 years old. I agree with you - I've seen things that would just make anyone question humanity. I'm glad you are there for them.

Daisy - lol - I think that there must be a secret invisible sign to humans but visible to strays of all kinds at your home - says BUFFET on the side of your home. lol. I can just see our cat Piper being told she had to stay outside for one night - OMG she is SUCH a drama queen. Good mouser but lousy house guest. I'm fairly convinced she's Bast incarnate.

3Shadows - I agree.

klmno - I remember you and difficult child volunteering at so many places over the years. I'm also saving my pill bottles - we just tacked a ziplock bag to the bulletin board and when we're done with the pills, we peel the lables. I take the empties to the shelter with me - DF can't go - the place makes him feel sorry to tell anyone he is in the human race.

ML - You could have a rat......lol (okay not digging that look) haha

TM - I think, I really, really think that what you do to an animal as training or punishment should be done to you. I actually belive I could agree that she be kicked until her finger at least was broken. What a $)(#)(# moron. And did you see in OUR local news here in SC?? OMG parents had three children - ages 4,6,7 taken away because to discipline them they were shooting them with BB guns....and said - they just got to likin' it so much they continued. WHAT THE ????????

 

[Marguerite]

Here in Australia, the RSPCA will step in and not only investigate, but confiscate if necessary and prosecute if appropriate. The only thing Ican think of for them not stepping in here, is being understaffed. Or for some reason, the laws on animal cruelty not being strong enough to be enforceable.

Good for you, Star, doing what you do.

Marg

 

[susiestar]

Oh, Starbie, I am so sorry about how your neighbor is treating his animals. I agree that it is horrible. Will the ASPCA or any Animal Police go see the conditions and take the animals?

I truly hope that your communities can help with this. People can be so cruel, and sadly we turn that on animals as well as other people.

We are lucky, I guess, in our community to have some active people who have created a very workable humane society that works with our pound (actually right next to each other) and a vet school that also helps out a lot.

Gentle hugs