I really wish people would stop dumping their dogs in the country. I realize that many think that us country folk will take them in, and yes, once in a great while we do. However the shear amount of dogs that get dumped, there is no feasible way to care for them all.
For those that dump their dogs, here's what happens to your pooch.
1. they get hit by a car
2. the get torn apart by coyotes
3. The get bit or scratched and die from an infection
4. they starve to death
Now if they managed to escape the above, they get hungry
5. farmer shoots them for attacking livestock.
However if they are very lucky
6. Animal control is called to pick them up
But even Animal control has told me to set out poison for the dumped pets. I won't do that, but some will.
If they manage to find other dumped dogs, they form a motley pack. And begin killing anything or anyone. They attack children and adults alike. I know you are looking at your pooch thinking but Sparky wouldn't hurt a fly. Think again. Try not feeding them for a week and see if they don't turn on you. You know they will. They become crazed by hunger. Dogs are not vegans. If all they can get is grass and plant life, they will eventually find a farm, they will kill the chickens or rabbits. And then they themselves will be killed.
Some feel that their dogs have a better chance at life in the country, rather then placing them in the care of the Humane Society. They are wrong. It is needlessly cruel to dump your dogs in the country.
I have shot many myself, ever since the city put in a measure that restricts what they consider dangerous dogs. I am tired of it. I am tired of your dogs desperate for food. We have to be careful with our children as well because of it. However lately the packs have slowed down because of the drought, they are starving to death and the coyotes have been eating them.
Show that dog a bit of kindness and take them to the pound. And it isn't just dogs, cats are a big problem as well.
20 comments:
Cheer up and look at this way - they make fine BBQ...bit greasy, but fine eating.
I do have a recipe, seems to me you need to cook them like a whole goat, so not to be greasy. The recipe however calls for a med sized brown dog. So I need to find a more general recipe.
its sad that people take in an animal and then when ever they become an inconvenience they just dump them on the wayside. like they are some kind of disposable toy. I know some pounds charge to take your pet maybe that's why they dump them. I don't know about dogs but I've seen lots of feral cat colonies that just breed disease they are sick and interbred and most end up dying.
Ours doesn't charge, but does ask for a donation when you bring a dog in. I know fees can be hard on people, but it is better than what happens once they are dumped out here.
Just to put a different spin on it, sometimes those dogs are lost in the country - not dumped - the family goes out for the day or maybe the dog belongs to country dwellers but for some reason the dog runs off - maybe gets on a scent and goes too far and can't be found. Same difference in the end but at least its not intentional.
Cats are more of a problem here I think - there are many feral ones that will hole up in barns and next thing there are 35 of them and no one wants to pay to have them neutered - and couldn't catch them anyway.
The lost scenario does indeed happen. We have gone out of our way to find owners of well trained, pleasant dogs. So I do completely understand that. However when you start seeing multiple dogs of the breeds a city has restrict, more than likely they have been dumped.
If you have lost a dog in the country, you should really let the area know. As long as they aren't aggressive, they shouldn't end up shot.
Feral cats have been a problem. We removed almost 20 from our barn.
We have a problem with both cats and dogs being dumped in the area. Same thing happens. There was actually a guy who used to live in the area that trapped them because they were tearing everything up on his place. Most animals that do show up are starving, sick and because of that are not friendly. I remember the first year my mom and dad and us moved out to the country back in 1996. In the first year we ended up with over a dozen dogs at our place. We would find tire tracks going down and turning halfway down the drive. We found a few homes but the rest didn't make it. Animal controls all over the place are overwhelmed. It is really sad.
I can relate. Everyone in our small town growing up used to dump their animals, mainly cats, at my sister's house cause they knew she would take care of them, and pretty much went broke doing it. At one point she had 23 cats. She would get them fixed, patched up and try her best to find homes for them. After years and years of doing it, she's finally down to 5 cats, with no plans to take in more. The cat population has declined in the area because of her efforts.
If I live to be 100 I'll never understand how supposed humans can just dump animals by the wayside. There is a recent story in Philadelphia where an owner (hate using that word) dumped a chipped cat out on the street to die. When it was found and the rescue contacted the person (using that term loosely) they said oh yeah it was acting sick so we put it out. (here is where i get ridiculously angry)
The rescue took him in got him vet care and he is now adoptable. He had to have surgery to remove a foreign object from his stomach because he'd been so hungry he ingested something non-edible. He's in renal failure from all the time spent hungry & on the street. (the sound you hear is my heart breaking)
Apparently animal neglect and abandonment is a summary offense in Philadelphia. The owner (makes me sick to use that word) was sentenced in absentia because she did not show up for the hearing. Her punishment? She can't own a or care for (ha!) a pet for the next 90 days. *screams* She also must pay the cat' vet bills. (as if that will happen)
Don't want your sick cat? Don't want to pay to take it to the vet? Don't want to be responsible and bring it to the shelter? Fine. Dump kitty on the street. You can just go ahead and get another in 90 days. *beats head on desk*
Philadelphia: city of brotherly love, where you can dump your sick cat in the street and have a new one in 90 days; & home to the football fans who revere a dog killer.
What the hell is wrong with people?
(disclaimer: I may be a lil edgy today. We just spent $125 at the vet this morning to make sure our lil kitty is okay.)
Our current dog came to us from my parent's farm where he had, most likely. been dumped. He is a sweetheart but was at that awkward stage of a big dog where he weighed 75 lbs but was still a puppy and full of puppy energy. He was skinny and hungry and full of ticks when he showed up at their door and hung around. They called the local agencies and sheriff to see if anyone had reported lost dog- no luck. Since he is a big dog and was hungry- and they have a problem down there with feral packs of dogs, Dad was going to shoot him before he got into the livestock. So.... long story short, we ended up with a dog because he was such a sweet boy. 5 years later, he weighs in at 125 lbs and still thinks he's a puppy. Fortunately, his story turned out well, but so many don't.
I tend to get really, really angry about people who don't think twice about dumping their pets at a farm.
Our dog had obviously been kennel trained so our guess is that he belonged to an apartment dweller who found that cute little puppy got too big for them to handle. Too bad they couldn't be responsible. But it's our gain.
Judy
It irks me no end to see allegedly responsible people be so irresponsible with pets. But I think that there are some people that don't become attached to their pet and then just dump them with no problem. I also think that everyone who gets a pet should have it spayed or neutered.
I haven't had too many problems with strays here yet. We've had a few friendly dogs lost but always have found the owner. If you can't take care of a pet, don't get one!! I wish more people would think of that. Pets need food, shelter and medical care, just like a human and a lot of people think they can pass on the medical for a pet, when in reality, they can't.
We have that problem too, only it's not as bad now as it was when we first moved here 20 years ago. The locals warned us that this area was a dumping ground for unwanted pets. We're north of NYC, so a lot of city people with money would have their summer homes up this way, get their kids a pet and then either leave them behind to fend for themselves or dump them in my neighborhood because it was more rural. We had a big problem with dogs and coy-dogs at first, but now it's the feral cats. It breaks my heart, especially when I see little kittens running around or hear them being attacked at night by coyotes.
We are on first name bases with the dog warden. We get soooooo many.
People's irresponsibility knows no bounds. If people would spay and neuter their pets, it would go a long way to keeping populations down. And of course, if people would only acquire animals with the idea that they can afford to talk care of them for the duration of their lives....I know things happen, but so may people can't take proper care of themselves and their kids, much less their animals. So frustrating.
We have two cats because one was abandoned and the other wandered to us. Thanks for calling attention to this.
Good post.. While you are raising the issue of dumping unwanted animals on us... How about mentioning the 'possums n raccoons n all those other pests that they should eat or bury in the backyard, but don't bring their problem animals to us...
And that Billy the Exterminator.... Doesn't help matters. Those animals all have territories, and homes, and they don't appreciate a country vacation.
A few years back, I wrote about people live trapping their city rodents and letting them go out here.
I had a woman that worked for me that had a litter of 9 pups and was trying to find them a home. I told her to put an ad in the paper while they were cute and cuddly and had a good chance of finding home. She said she didn't want to do that "because you don't know who is taking them". Roll forward 3 months when they are obviously mutts and not so cute....she takes them with a 20 pound bag of food and dumps them. I seriously had to put up with her because it wasn't an offense that I could fire her for. I also live in the country and this is a really sore point with me as well.
The story we were told as true happened near Fort Worth, TX where a farmer/rancher saw a woman tearfully putting her cute little 'city dog' out. He pulled over in his pickup, got out with his gun, and shot the adorable little dog right in front of her. Of course, she began to sob and ask how he could do such a cruel thing. He told her bluntly the realities of what that young dog faced from her false sense of kindness and said she needed to understand that she was the one who had killed the dog while he had only shortened its suffering. The nearer to the city your farm is, the more cases of dumped dogs you will see. It's heartbreaking. Spay and neuter People!
I live in the country too. I think every country dweller either rescues more than they can afford or shoots them on sight. I have had an idea for a very long time that I think would make an impact. We have spent a third of the cost of our house over the past 4 years rescuing dumped animals, just for vet bills alone. That does not count the food and shelter, etc.
I have the beginning of an idea that I think just might work. There are so many of us in this fix. Please go to my Facebook Page: Animal Lovers Against Dumping https://www.facebook.com/groups/1645082875778042/ and private message me. I haven't posted any of my idea yet because I am still trying to figure out how to best institute it. The first step is getting a list of other soft-hearted country dwellers like you.
Thanks so much.
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