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 This dog was one of the few that was lucky enough to make it to a shelter. She's still waiting for a family, though! - Photo by Teresa Lloyd
Monday, March 01, 2010 By Summer Lloyd
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Do you remember that dog that you saw the other day? You know what I’m talking about. That dirty, mangy little mutt that was wandering about, confused and alone? Yeah. That’s the one. That little guy had been dumped on the side of the road by his owner about three days before you saw him. He raced after his master’s car like the little trooper he was. Well, if you drive by that place again, you will see, a couple blocks from where you first spotted him, a mangy little mutt who’s now dead, hit and killed by some drunkard who didn’t have the sense to turn his headlights on. ‘How could this have happened?’ You ask yourself, ‘Why didn’t somebody take him to the pound?’ The same reason you didn’t take him. They assumed somebody else would. In other words, they didn’t care.
An uncountable amount of animals are dumped on the side of the road each year, in America alone. Most of these animals will never even make it to a pound, much less a new family. Even here, in Prineville, Oregon, population approximately 10,000 people, you will see a stray animal about every other day. Now, of course, in this little farm community many would assume that these are ‘farm dogs’ or ‘field cats’. However, there are some obvious differences in farm animals and dumped animals. For one thing, the dumped animals are obviously dirtier. Their coats are matted and covered in burs, they are some of the skinniest little creatures you’ve seen and, the big spotlight of animal homelessness, they are utterly confused. Confused about where they are, confused about what to do and confused about how to get out of themes they’re in. It’s just a big mixture of hunger, thirst, sickness and confusion for them.
I can easily see having to get rid of Fido in this economic recession. However, what I can’t understand, cannot even comprehend in the slightest is why somebody would bother to drive thirty miles out of town to throw Snowball out the window rather than simply drive five miles up the hill to the Humane Society and actually give their former, furry friend a chance at life. It’s really not that difficult. If you have a complaint about the cost, if there is, in fact, a payment needed at the shelter, then simply let the front desk know that your family is struggling in the economy, and you really can’t afford to take care of your pet anymore, much less pay to put them in the shelter. If you absolutely feel that you have to pay to put your animal up for adoption, then find something that’s easy to sacrifice in your life. Drop a couple of cups of coffee a month, don’t buy that new TV, go out to dinner one less time. You will hardly be going out of your way.
On the other hand, if you are not one of those people who abandon your family’s little friend, but you see a little critter wandering aimlessly about, do the furry little guy a favor. Try to coax them into your car, and drive him (or her) to your friendly neighborhood animal shelter. Let the people at the desk know that it’s not your pet, but you found them walking in circles on your street looking utterly confused, so you brought them there. (However, a warning to you… If the animal is well-groomed, looking healthy and has a collar, don’t take it with you!)
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