This is why I don't like people!

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Some people make strong cases for spaying and neutering of people.

Gather around, kiddies. I have some hearwarming tales to share. I wish I could show this everyone who has ever dumped or abandoned a pet. There is what The Right Reverend Book calls a "Special Hell" for such people. I am going to warn you right now, in all seriousness, these are not easy stories to bear. You will not hurt my feeling if you stop reading right now.

Can you tell this is a hot button issue for me?

I grew up in the country, so let me tell you what a nirvana for abandoned and unwanted pets it is. You know, everyone who abandons pets just know that they are the first nice people who thought to do it, and everyone know dog and cats just love to run lose on farms and fields and whatnot.

1. I have a friend who lives in a tiny little farming comunty area. Last year, her count for taking abandoned cats to the shelter was 18 by the time July rolled around. That does not include the box of newborn kittens some saint left in the middle of the fucking road so that this nice lady, who has nothing better to do, would try and deal with this problem for them. In other words, another shelter run...but who cares, she was probably bored anyways.

2. I found myself at the epicenter of a large pack of happy pets that had been set free by their owners in the woods one afternoon when I was thirteen. They snarl like that because they are happy and well fed, right? Me and my own dog, who was scared out of his skull. They would have killed him if not for me being there. They would have killed me except that I am half crazy, and in my youth I was also reckless on top of it. I played and impromptu game of "scream and charge them waving a tree branch." Thank God and sonny Jesus I won. Sometimes that game is challenging...couple years back an old man getting his mail from the box played that same game and lost. The loser of that game gets to wear a black bag that zips over what's left of your face. But the dogs always seem to enjoy it!

3. My dad had to shoot a dog dead one day. It was either that, or watch it trot off with his pet rooster. Good thing he was off work that day, it being Christmas morning.

4. This is a good one. Everyone loves puppies, right? Well, we had a nice deep snow about a decade ago ( I was still in my old place, so ten-plus years or so). About six inches or so (that is deep for us). Some kindly old soul left a box of chow puppies up at the road. But great news, they were old enough to toddle around and get out of the box. We were alerted to this turn of events when a guy in a truck skidded off the road and hit a tree trying to avoid hitting them (we really cannot drive in snow down here). Also great news, only one or two of them died in the street. Couple more we presume froze to death in the woods, which really is supposedly a nice enough way to go. One got picked up and adopted out. So heartwarming when a homeless puppy gets a home!

Oh, the guy in the truck? Who gives a fuck?

5.Almost last year to the day, I rescued an abandoned cat that had washed out from under my deck during an absolutely torrential thunderstorm. She had just given birth...I found about three of her kittens half drowned in the mud of the resulting flood. I have no doubt there were more...all I found were three. Two in the morning, visibility zero, me in a slicker up to my knees in whitewater. But I don't mind, it kept some wonderful animal lover somewhere from having to take a trip down to the shelter or having to have his pet spayed, so really, I am all too happy to do things like this. Just doing my part, you know?

So I set the thing up in my outbuilding and the next morning, she bites me on the ankle. So last year at Pennsic, I had to check back with DHEC to make sure I didn't have to start a course of rabies shots while I was on my MOTHER FUCKING PRE PAID VACATION. Yeah. So they came and got mom cat, got the kittens and took them downtown where the kittens were immediately gassed and after the obligatory rabies watch, so was the mom. Which I guess is a bit of a downer. But hey, only three kittens got gassed.

We can always pretend that that's all there were and none drowned in mud, if anyone needs to feel better after that one. I'm not a total ogre.

6. When I was about 10, a very large happily abandoned pet wanted to romp and play with my dog. Did you know you probably ought not get involved in dogfights? Well, you shouldn't. I was able to walk home, and my dog was okay. My dog's big friend probably had a blast. And by the time I was able to get all the way back home, most of the blood had coagulated, so I didn't bleed all over mom's carpet.

7. My dad adopted a stray dog he found in the swamp. It was so emaciated that he could literally see the food he'd given it (he gave it his bag lunch) inside the dog's stomach as a lump. The owner evidently figured hey, it's a swamp, nobody will ever see that dog again, didn't even bother taking her collar off. My dad called the guy, said he found his dog. Guy could not be bothered. But hey, dog got adopted, so it's a happy story.

I'm not even done, really. I could go on at legnth about torn-apart hen houses, mutilated wildlife, disemboweled rabbits. Country kids really do get quite an education.

[tropicsgoddess]

That bitch should be in the for that!

[Mikkel]

Some people make strong cases for spaying and neutering of people.

If not for the pets, then for their future children's sake. If they can betray their pets trust like that, what will they do to their children?

[Pagan]

And another one from today. Poor babies.

http://www.krqe.com/dpp/news/crime/d...-die-in-desert

Seriously, I understand times are tough and you might not be able to care for your pet anymore, but there are shelters to take them to.

We've got a wonderful no-kill shelter here, Watermelon Ranch. Just about anyone can tell you where it's at.

[HorrorFrogPrincess]

My cousin and his wife found a puppy either in or by a dumpster years ago. Some kind of mutt. She was just a puppy, but already big with HUGE paws.

She's scared of men often, especially yelling ones (cousin when he's mad). Probably abused and dumped when she got too big.

As of today, she's a HUGE dog who loves running around backyards and smelling things.

[jedimaster91]

My neighbors recently adopted a setter mix from the humane society. Our subdivision backs up into a business park with big trucks constantly going in and out. The poor dog is terrified of the trucks even though she can only hear them. Neighbor has a theory that someone dumped her out of a moving car or truck and that's why she freaks out.

[Seshat]

Kinkoid...

No, I have no words. Or none that I'm willing to say, being such a nice person and all.

To Kinkoid and all the others who've mentioned rescuing animals (though I think being out in the rain fishing kittens out of the mud is the most dramatic rescue of the thread so far): go you.

I've lost count of the animals I've taken to the shelter (or the vet) since we moved where we are, even though we're not near a farm. Probably still less than ten, but even that is too many.

And I agree with you, Kinkoid. Shelter runs are so much fun! There's never anything better to do with your day than take a sick, emaciated animal to overworked people who will probably end up having to put him/her down.



Side note: our vet loves guinea pigs, so we 'surrendered' a stray pig we'd found to her instead of a shelter. Her niece has a new friend.


The most recent shelter run was heartbreaking. The dog was gorgeous to look at, and SO friendly, and attached himself to me immediately. He wanted nothing other than to be near me, be petted, be reassured he was a Good Boy.
I was home alone that day and didn't have the car with me (and can't drive anyway) so I got the shelter to send one of their people. Fortunately, the Good Boy seemed to like her as well, and we got him into her car easily enough. She told me she thought he'd wind up very adoptable.
I hope she wasn't just giving me reassurance.

If he'd not been far too big for us, we'd have taken him ourselves. But he was one of those big, active breeds (mixed breed, but still...). There's no way we could give him the home or the three-hour walks he'd probably need.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My mum and I got a new kitty after our other one died. New kitty Daisy started off as being terrified of everything and hiding behind the fridge when she was scared. The reason? Her old owners used to kick her around and would throw her bodily off the sofa. She hated her tail being touched for ages, so we surmised that they also threw her around by the tail. We got her from a rescue home at the age of two; they decided that since she was no longer a cute kitten, that they'd dump her. Someone found her shivering by the side of the road and brought her into the home.

Now tho, she's much better and is a real character. I just can't understand the mentality that makes a person abuse a helpless animal.

[ralerin]

The most recent shelter run was heartbreaking. The dog was gorgeous to look at, and SO friendly, and attached himself to me immediately. He wanted nothing other than to be near me, be petted, be reassured he was a Good Boy.
I was home alone that day and didn't have the car with me (and can't drive anyway) so I got the shelter to send one of their people. Fortunately, the Good Boy seemed to like her as well, and we got him into her car easily enough. She told me she thought he'd wind up very adoptable.
I hope she wasn't just giving me reassurance.

No, I think she was right, he certainly sounds like a lovely boy.

Oddly enough, that's J.J's personality right there. He is such a lovely boy, everyone calls him that, he charms everyone with his ready for petting personality and doesn't have a mean bone in his body. So long as he gets plenty of attention each day, he's fine. And we are always here to give him some.

When he got him, he was terrified of everything, even my hand coming up to touch him on the head. He would drop to the floor and cower, tail tucked between the legs. He hates yelling, he hates it when people sneeze too loud or bang something, he simply cowers. Now, he's not too bad, he's learned that being petted on the head is a good thing, but he's still afraid of loud noises.

[Seshat]

I'll pretend that my Good Boy is your J.J. That'll make me happy!

Our Vi (Violet) HATES HATES HATES my cane. If I have to go on my physiotherapy walk with her using the cane or the walker, she's still very eager for the walk, but cowers from the cane/walker if they get too close to her.

We're sure someone used to hit her with a stick. That makes me SO angry!


She's VERY easy to train for most things. You show her what you want her to do and praise her for it, and she gets the idea of doing that, especially if you're consistent. She doesn't need a stick! She barely needs any sort of punishing! Raise your voice a bit and give her a scowl and she knows she's been bad - that's enough!

Grrr.

Ahem. Anyway. Good Boy got a good home. Yay ralerin!

[customersruinmylife]

A passer by dumped a cat in my garbage. I remember heading out for school and seeing the bag on the pavement moving. I was immediately freaked out, assuming it was a rat or something, until I heard the meowing. I managed to pull the poor kitty out and take him back inside.

The garbage truck was only a couple of houses away.

The cat was a wreck for months after that. He lay hidden in the corner and didn't approach any of us for about six months. After that, he was all over us and wanted tonnes of attention. However, whenever a stranger entered the house, he would flee and not return for a day or two.

He passed away last year unfortunately, but at least it was from old age and not from being crushed in a garbage truck.

People who abandon pets make me sick. I understand that people may come to a point where they cannot afford to keep their animals anymore, but my God, it does not cost anything to donate them!

[Lace Neil Singer]

Exactly. -.- The road that Daisy was dumped by was just a short distance from the flipping shelter. Would it really have killed her owners to have taken her there, rather than leaving her by the side of the road? Gits.

[Pagan]

Exactly. -.- The road that Daisy was dumped by was just a short distance from the flipping shelter. Would it really have killed her owners to have taken her there, rather than leaving her by the side of the road? Gits.

I'm beginning to wonder with some people that dump animals even though there are shelters nearby, if they're afraid that the shelter people are some how going to be judgmental of them for giving up their animals?

Still not an excuse (is there ever a valid one for dumping a pet?), but maybe a reason?

[Seshat]

Heck, my grey kitty (currently on my lap) was surrendered to a shelter. The people who gave her up told the staff she was bought as a companion for their mother, but the mother had a stroke and needed to go to a nursing home.

Noone at the shelter will care if a story like that is truth or a lie! Just say that!

[ralerin]

I'll pretend that my Good Boy is your J.J. That'll make me happy!

{snip}

Good Boy got a good home. Yay ralerin!

If Good Boy miraculously transformed from mutt into a purebred, AKC beagle and somehow got shipped to the USA, then, yes. However, I believe in my heart that your Good Boy got himself a good home not long after he went with the woman. I truly do. I have pictures of my J.J in Off Topic under "I Can Has Rescued Beagle" if you want to admire.

He was 5 years old and like I said, purebred AKC registered beagle so he obviously wasn't neutered (he was when he came to the Animal Rescue League; I wonder if he fathered some puppies). He has that showdog walk and that oh so wonderful, charming personality with that beautiful dog smile and his beautiful tail that curls like a flag over his back that he loves to wave. His original owners placed him on Craigslist and he was picked up by a couple with an infant. He HATED the infant, he growled and snapped and he tore up the house and peed everywhere, or so they say. They dumped him off at the police station and they transferred him to the Animal Rescue League. He broke a tooth because he was TERRIFIED of being caged and broke it after he woke up from the neutering and chewed the door of the cage. When he came into the observation room where they had him meet us, he made the circuit of the room but always returned to me for petting and kisses and cuddles. When he met Sally he was so eager that he extended one leg, catlike, out of the gate. He was perfect for us. What did it for us was not only his beautiful looks and charm, but the fact that he looked like Sally's older brother rather than like Charlemagne, who we had just lost a couple months before.

Phew, that was long, but I adore my dog, so much. I just wish everyone in the world could have that same love for their pets, then maybe there would be less suffering in the world.

I'm beginning to wonder with some people that dump animals even though there are shelters nearby, if they're afraid that the shelter people are some how going to be judgmental of them for giving up their animals?

Still not an excuse (is there ever a valid one for dumping a pet?), but maybe a reason?

I think it's that, or they believe that a shelter will somehow "ruin" their pets or make them "broken" or any pet who goes to the shelter will be killed on the spot.