7-5-2010 Neglect and Abandonment

Neglect and Abandonment

I received the following ad found on craigslist in the Chicago area, that I thought was very appropriate, and something I’ve thought to myself I should write often:

You aren't looking for them, but I found your 2 dogs
Date: 2010-06-02, 11:47AM
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Sigh. No one is looking for these guys. And I see why.
They hump everything in sight, try to dominate our old doggies, try to
eat our cats and pee on everything and bark at everything. Neurotic,
lick constantly. They know no commands, either in English or Spanish.
They are aggressive and most likely lived in a puppy mill.
You dumped them, probably, and we picked them up before they were killed
by traffic. Unneutered, no tags, two small males under a year old.
I hate you, person who dumped these dogs.
There are no lost ads on phone poles, no lost ad on Craig's list, no
lost ad in the paper.
We put signs up all over, put a found notice in at the local pounds. If
you were looking for these filthy little ragamuffins, you would have
found them.
We are afraid to take them to the pound because under stress, your dogs
were snappy and horribly afraid, and dogs are judged by temperament for
adoption placement. They would not have passed that test.
However...
They are, under their filth, mats and horrible habits, adorable.
They have learned "Quiet," "Come," "Sit."
They have stopped being so neurotic and we have broken most of their bad
habits in just a few days.
They are smart and sweet and are looking for guidance and WANT to be
good little dogs.
One is a purebred little white and buff guy with an under bite, the
other is a brown little dog that looks almost exactly like a miniature
version of a larger breed dog. They know each other and were obviously
(by the same bad habits) raised (poorly) together.
We will get them neutered, train them and get them into a good, loving
home with people who use the brains God gave them.
If these are your dogs, come on by. Not so you can have them back.
So I can kick your ---.
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This has been an eventful week for me as well. My kids found a couple of puppies who followed them home. Word on the street says they were dumped off. The puppies were so covered in fleas; I’m surprised they were still alive. I got rid of the fleas and fed them and that helped with the anemia. Sweet as pie, they surely belonged to someone at some time. They were very used to humans and very loving. I took them to the vet to deal with their bloody diarrhea which I feared was parvo, but luckily for them, it was hookworm and whipworm. I took care of the worms, vaccinated them and they soon became the bouncy puppies they should be. I found a foster home for them who called me today to tell me they are 99% sure they want to adopt them. I’m so glad!
I’ve also received an email from Carthage, IL about two kittens found in the Mississippi River. They were caught on a fishing net, and one kitten was hooked by its ear. Luckily somebody saw them and rescued them. One kitten’s foot was swollen and feared broken but while at the vet they discovered that it was infected and full of maggots, and not broken. I wonder if there were more kittens that weren’t lucky enough to get caught on a fishing net.
Why are people so evil? What makes someone hate an animal so much they will throw it in a river instead of finding someone to give it a home instead? What makes someone dump off puppies full of fleas and parasites instead of find it a home or spay their mother? I know that times are hard and rescues are full but there are people to help. Dumping them off is not the way to do this. Call a vet, a groomer, a rescue group, a pound, a human society or anybody! Put an absolutely free ad in the paper. Put up a poster at the grocery store. There are a million things you can do instead of just dumping them off, hoping some animal loving person will take them in and care for them, even when they don’t have the time, or money themselves to do it.
I have to say I was not happy to see these little pups show up but my son reminded me, “Well Mom, what would you do? They had fleas so bad, somebody had to do something!” so they brought them to me to do something. Sometimes I feel like my kids are the pied pipers of Attica, but instead of leading the critters out of town, they lead them to our house. While I love puppies as much as anyone, I know the work they require and the time commitment and I am just not set up to deal with puppies. I’m glad I was able to help them though. They are sweet loving little pups who deserve a chance at a forever home, and I think they got one.
I’ve also done some favors for our dog pound on behalf of the animals. Some of the cases they deal with are horrifying. I’m glad I was here to help. Do I have extra time to do this? No, but I do it because somebody has to. It seems to be my lot in life.
I was chatting with a client about rescue and needing foster homes and volunteers, and they were genuinely interested in helping! It doesn’t mean you have to foster dogs, or adopt dogs or give money. Oftentimes, just taking a dog to Petsmart for an adopt-a-thon and sitting there chatting with people about them, and giving the dogs exposure will help find them a forever home. If you can do more, great! There is always something to do to help in rescue. One of the rescues I’m working with is called “We Care Animal Rescue” and we are most grateful for any volunteers. If you are interested in helping you can call 765 491-8860 or visit their website at www.wecarerescue.org and find out ways you can help.
If we all do a little, we can help a lot.