Through a Dog’s Eyes I LOVE mornings! Every day my dad gets up and we go for a walk. Then he scratches me behind the ears (he knows I LOVE that!) and he’s off to work. I spend the day laying around in Dad’s chair (which I’m not supposed to do!) barking at the birds or cats that go by the window. Sometimes, when there’s a really good smell in the trash, I accidentally knock it over trying to see what it is! Here lately, Dad’s been different – sorta sad and stuff. We don’t take as many walks as we use to. He’s been spending a lot of time taking things off the walls and putting things in boxes. I don’t know what’s happening, but he just seems so sad. One day, Dad pulls up into the drive and I grab my leash and run to the door so that we can go for a walk when he gets in. He leans over and pats my head and says, “Not this time buddy.” He lets me out the back door, but he doesn’t come with me. Something’s not right. He looks so sad. After a while, he calls me in and he puts my leash on me. Oh boy!! We’re finally going for a walk. I LOVE walks, they’re so much fun! He’s putting me in the truck. Yeah! We’re going for a ride. I LOVE rides…I get to stick my head out of the window and let the wind blow on my face! All the smells…there’s so many; I don’t know which one is my favorite! Maybe we’re going to the park. I LOVE the park…all the squirrels and rabbits to chase after! Oh it’s so much fun!! But wait, we’re not going to the park. We arrive at building and I hear other dogs barking. I know… we’re here to get me a brother or sister! I would LOVE to have a brother or sister to play with; that would be so much fun!!! He puts my leash back on and takes me inside. There are so many new smells! I smell other dogs and, what’s that? I smell cats!!! I LOVE cats! I love to chase them and make them run up a tree! Oh, it’s so much fun! We don’t go to visit any other dogs. I’m confused. He makes me sit there while he fills out some paperwork and talks to the nice man behind the desk. When Dad is done, he turns and looks at me, scratches me behind the ears (I LOVE that!), and then he kneels down in front of me…he has water leaking from his eyes and he looks so sad. He gives me a big hug and says, “I’m so sorry buddy” and he gets up and leaves. Wait…where are you going? Come back, you forgot me! The nice man takes me by the leash and leads me back into a big room full of cages and a LOT of other dogs. It’s so loud in here! I’m so scared! What did I do wrong? Why did Dad leave me? The man pets me on the head and says, “It’ll be alright, we’ll find you a good home.” He opens a cage door and walks me in. He closes the door behind me and leaves. I’m so confused! Why am I here? Why can’t I go home and where’s my Dad? Maybe he’ll come and get me tomorrow. I walk to the back of the cage and lay down. I wish I could cover my ears it’s so loud. The next day the man comes back in and he goes around from cage to cage putting food and water into bowls. Maybe he’s come to take me back out to Dad! No, he just puts food and water into my bowl and moves on. I go back to the back of my cage…I’m not hungry. Sometimes the nice man will take me outside to play in the big yard, but I don’t feel like playing. I just lay there…waiting for Dad to come and get me. Once in a while some nice people come and they take me out for a walk. It’s nice to get out of the cage, but I just don’t feel like going for a walk. They bring me back in and tell the man, “He’s just not what we’re looking for”, so the man takes me back to my cage. Before he closes the door, he scratches me behind my ear, but I wish he’d just leave me alone. He tells me I’ll never get adopted if I don’t perk up. Days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months. I don’t think Dad is coming back and I’m angry. I start barking at anyone who walks by my cage because I HATE being here. I run back and forth in my cage; I snap at the nice man who comes to take me outside. He tries to be nice, but I don’t want to be here…I want to go home…I just want to go home. He puts a note on my door that tells people not to try and walk me…I’ve become too aggressive. One day the nice man comes to the cage. I can see that he’s sad. He talks quietly to me before he opens the door. I bark at him, but he just pats my head, puts the leash on me and walks me out. I don’t know where we’re going, but I hope Dad’s here…maybe I finally get to go home. The man takes me outside and we go for a walk. It’s nice. I haven’t done that in a while. I can tell something’s wrong, he looks sad like my dad did when he left me here. The man takes me back inside but instead of going to my cage, we walk down a long hall and he takes me to another room. As soon as I get in the room I can tell something bad is happening. There’s a funny smell in here…I don’t like it and I’m scared. The man snaps my leash to a hook and he goes and gets something out of the cabinet. He turns back around and kneels in front of me. He scratches my ears again, water in his eyes, and whispers, “It’s alright pal. You’re a good boy and this is not your fault.” Then he takes something sharp and pokes me in the hip. Ouch! That stung. What’s going on? Oh…I’m starting to feel really sleepy and dizzy. I can’t control my legs! I want to run, but it’s getting hard to hear and hard to think…I’m…going…to…sleep… Look! I can see the man…and he’s crying beside a dog and petting him…wait, that dog is me! What’s happening? I can see that I’m still breathing, but I’m not moving or trying to get up. The man takes out another sharp thing and rolls me over. What’s he doing? He takes the sharp thing and sticks it in my chest and he just keeps saying he’s so sorry. I continue to watch the man stay by my side until I see that I’m no longer breathing. I want to tell the man not to cry anymore…I see other dogs up ahead and I think I’ll go play with them. I haven’t felt like playing in a long time… This was written by Jim Tate, the Director of the Humane Society of Clinton County in memory of all of the dogs that have had to be euthanized because they have gone “kennel crazy” because they have been left behind and locked up by no fault of their own. Until he became a part of the HSCC, he too, used to believe it was OK not to spay/neuter your pets because even if they got pregnant, you could give away the puppies. Seeing innocent pets being surrendered every day has given him a new perspective on spaying/neutering pets. Every year, millions of cats and dogs of all ages and breeds are euthanized or suffer as strays. These high numbers are the result of unplanned litters that could have been prevented by spaying or neutering. Starting July 2014 a group of donors have pledge to donate the funds to spay/neuter one person/family’s pet (in Clinton County, Indiana). Each month, there will be a drawing to pick a pet to spay/neuter. If you would like to have your pet spayed/neutered for free, please contact the HSCC at 765-654-7717 or email [email protected] to be placed in the drawing. If you would like to donate money towards the spaying/neutering of a person’s pet, please contact Jim Tate, Director of the HSCC for more information. The more donations that are received the more pets that can be spayed/neutered each month. Please, be a responsible pet owner, spay/neuter your pets and help save lives!
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 18:10:43 +0000
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