Make Them Part of Your Family

Make Them Part of Your Family

Look deep into the eyes of any animal, and then for a moment, trade places, their life becomes as precious as yours and you become as vulnerable as them. Now smile if you believe all animals deserve our respect and our protection, for in a way, they are us, and we are them.” ~Philip Ochoa~

I was going to write about puppy mills until I saw my friend Viktor`s post today. It was about Bertha, one of our adopted dogs which we thought she was going to live happily ever after in her fury home!!! Bertha is a pure breed Rottweiler which was found in the streets of Istanbul. She was so tired, so emaciated, so destroyed by lack of care that she collapsed in the arms of her rescuer. Then she was taken care of by one of Istanbul best vets and in months as members of the Let`s Adopt Family we all watched her amazing transformation. She looked like a completely different dog, she gained weight, looking healthy, with a big smile on her face, ready to fly to her new loving home…

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=39124&id=1314867706&ref=mf

On the 30^th of November Bertha was adopted by a “perfect” family. We saw the pictures of our baby girl running in the woods with that precious smile on her face. We were all so happy for her. Unfortunately our little fairy tale lasted only ten days. When Viktor went to the adoptant`s home to see how she`s been doing, she found Bertha in the crate. She was going crazy, wanted to get out. She has lost 2 kilos in ten days. They fought so hard to make her gain weight and recover her health but she has lost two kilos whilst on her guardian`s watch. He took Bertha from the adoptant and now we are looking for another “perfect” family to take care of our baby girl.

http://blog.myletsadopt.com/2009/12/10/lara-sayinsoya-mektup-letter-to-lara-sayinsoy/

Then I started thinking…Why do people chain their dogs? Why do people leave their dogs in a crate for hours when they go for work? What`s your definition of animal cruelty?

According to the Humane Society of United States there are variety of reasons why people chain their dogs outside. Many people believe that dogs should live outside, and they keep the dog tied up because he or she escapes the yard or digs in the garden. Or maybe the dog has grown too large to be inside, or has developed a behavior problem that the owner is unable to deal with, so the dog stays in the yard. Or perhaps the dog is kept outside to protect the home.

Dogs are social animals. They choose to live in “packs” and rarely spend time alone. When dogs are chained, tethered, or tied-out they are essentially isolated from their “pack” (your family). A dog kept chained alone in one spot for hours, days, months, or even years suffers immense psychological damage. An otherwise friendly and docile dog, when kept continuously chained, becomes neurotic, unhappy, anxious, and often aggressive. Chained dogs are likely to hurt themselves. Dogs can get caught up in their chains and injure themselves and possibly even hang or strangle themselves. And sad but true chained dogs are euthanized more frequently. Chained dogs can free themselves from bondage and get loose and when they do they are often caught and put to sleep due to erratic behavior and aggressive tendencies.

Chaining a dog is passive animal cruelty. By leaving a dog tied to a tree you are leaving him vulnerable to heat, cold and attacks from other humans or animals. I wonder why a person chooses to have a dog when the dog lives his life isolated on the end of a chain. I often hear that people want a “watchdog” so they can chain their dog outside. Contrary to popular belief a chained dog does not make a good guard dog. They may be territorial over the yard; however, most of the items thieves target are indoors where your dog can not reach the burglar.

If you see a dog that is constantly left chained up outside and you think his quality of life is suffering, don’t be afraid to call the Humane Society. They will send someone out to educate the owners or take the dog away and give it a better home where it will (deservedly) be loved as a family member. And please make your dogs part of your family. Spend quality time with them, play with them, take them for nice long walks. Be a BEST FRIEND…

Love,

Pia

http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/chaining_tethering/tips/do_you_chain_your_dog.html

http://www.unchainyourdog.org/FactsPhotos.htm