to anyone wanting to abandon their dog PLEASE READ THIS

The Sweeper

I've blocked friends of mine on facebook who post:

Animal rights or ethics posters
Pictures of injured animals that they want you to 'like' to prevent cruelty (how does that prevent cruelty, exactly?)
Schmalzy poems about animals and the rainbow bridge and so on
A broad variety of anti-BSL pictures

I own seven rescue pets. I have fostered cats and kittens for rehoming. I have a bull breed cross who may one day run foul of the restricted breed laws. I have written letters to ministers and my local representative regarding breed specific legislation. I have marched in protest marches against breed specific legislation.

On this basis:

I am not likely to dump my dog in a pound. Please don't send me anything schmalzy about it. I've been in pounds. I've volunteered in a pound. It's entirely possible I've spent more time in a pound than you have.

Do not send me animal cruelty photographs. Some of my pets have suffered cruelty and neglect in their lives. I do not need a photographic reminder. I will never feed a pet a firecracker, or beat an animal, I will never starve them, burn them or fight them for my entertainment. I am fully and acutely aware that it goes on. I don't need to see pictures of it.

Poems and poorly made posters irritate me because I think, take the time you spent forwarding this, or editing it, or indeed writing it, or photoshopping it or whatever - take that time and use it to do something for animal welfare. Even if it means calling the pound and asking if they need old towels or blankets, and driving yours down there. Or find a local shelter and offer it support - time, money, old items you don't need any more, a saturday morning selling raffle tickets to raise money, whatever.

Decide to do sometihng to raise money for your local no-kill shelter. Get friends and family to sponsor you to grow a beard and shave it off, or shave your head. Enrol for a local fun-run and get sponsorship.

It's most frustrating because most of these posters, poems, schmalzy stories and so on really are emotional masturbation because they're aimed at people who are already animal supporters and would be highly unlikely to harm an animal deliberately.

What some animal lovers could do with is pictures of fat pets reminding them that without opposable thumbs, they can't open the kibble packet, the tin, the treat bag or the fridge themselves, so it's not their fault they're fat... o_O

Vince32

This thing called empathy is what sets humans apart from the animal kingdom, to imagine or feel another's pain as your own, or to try and help people realise that putting an animal in a shelter will most likely result in it's destruction, since the adoption / fostering numbers are so low. But this we know, and if your left with no choice but to get rid of your animals, find them a home yourself, after all the love and affection the animal shows you. it really is the least you can do.

Every animal deserves a good home, and if someone is too cold hearted or shut off from the world they think poems about the death of a loved one, or once loved one, are tripe, drivel or crap, the same poems that were written to lessen suffering the loss of a pet, or to show people the real truth about what happens to most sheltered animals in the long run, and try to extend the precious life of an animal by even a single day, then shame on you, and I hope when your time comes, no one cries for you, to respect and reflect your wishes and thoughts on the subject.

For those of us still attached to our humanity, you have our thanks for the stirring poem and food for thought.

Vince
EDIT:
Who knows what effect reading that poem might of had on someone, perhaps it was enough to get them to reconsider giving up their dog in the first place, or volunteer themselves for the first time, or make a donation that they otherwise may not have, and to called emotionally whaching off, well that's... that to me sounds like you've seen far to much of your fair share of suffering and perhaps closed a road for you that should of remained open.
If everyone who has had a say, or read this thread donates 20 euros to a non kill shelter, would it still be emotional whaching off?
anyways, keep up the good fight, the more people helping out, the better it will be for all concerned.

Vince

The Sweeper

Vince32 wrote: »

shame on you, and I hope when your time comes, no one cries for you, to respect and reflect your wishes and thoughts on the subject.

Your empathy for human beings is profound. ...or not.

And I'm quite sure if you post my death on facebook there'll be plenty of shares, tears, people declaring they're bawling their eyes out, and a great big bunch of likes.

...I, however, will still be dead. Not dissimilar to pound dogs after someone reads some trite piece of social-networked schmalz.

fatmammycat

Vince32 wrote: »

This thing called empathy is what sets humans apart from the animal kingdom, to imagine or feel another's pain as your own, or to try and help people realise that putting an animal in a shelter will most likely result in it's destruction, since the adoption / fostering numbers are so low. But this we know, and if your left with no choice but to get rid of your animals, find them a home yourself, after all the love and affection the animal shows you. it really is the least you can do.

Every animal deserves a good home, and if someone is too cold hearted or shut off from the world they think poems about the death of a loved one, or once loved one, are tripe, drivel or crap, the same poems that were written to lessen suffering the loss of a pet, or to show people the real truth about what happens to most sheltered animals in the long run, and try to extend the precious life of an animal by even a single day, then shame on you, and I hope when your time comes, no one cries for you, to respect and reflect your wishes and thoughts on the subject.

For those of us still attached to our humanity, you have our thanks for the stirring poem and food for thought.

Vince
EDIT:
Who knows what effect reading that poem might of had on someone, perhaps it was enough to get them to reconsider giving up their dog in the first place, or volunteer themselves for the first time, or make a donation that they otherwise may not have, and to called emotionally whaching off, well that's... that to me sounds like you've seen far to much of your fair share of suffering and perhaps closed a road for you that should of remained open.
If everyone who has had a say, or read this thread donates 20 euros to a non kill shelter, would it still be emotional whaching off?
anyways, keep up the good fight, the more people helping out, the better it will be for all concerned.

Vince

Ugh, give over. People who find this kind of thing twee are cold-hearted and should feel shame? I must let my rescue cats know that my heart is a lump of granite so. They will be surprised.

Vince32

Sweeper, just FYI, just because you were the poster above me, doesn't mean I was speaking of you directly, so I hope you didn't take what I had to say personally, or maybe you did... who knows.
================================

There are many people out there who give time and resources they have to spare to shelters and animals in need, and there are many who do not, what may I ask would be the tipping point for someone to decide to want to help out? a touching poem, a funny story, a personal tragedy, or just plain old boredom and a break from the norm?

I'm almost certain poems like this one have had a profound effect on owners in grief, bystanders and people thinking about surrendering their animals to a shelter, and may of infact saved a few lives in the process.

People may not appreciate the full impact of a thing, and the power emotions have over us, love hate, sorrow or joy, but however anyone chooses to view the world is their own business, but when people set aside their personal feelings on a topic of interest for a moment a look at how a thing might impact a situation, they would see a poem, is just a poem, but the effect it can have on the bigger picture is sort of like the butterfly effect, and can impact thousands of people and animals, and make a positive change to their lives.

I cannot see how a poem, however soppy and whatever heartstrings it may pull on, could possibly have negative effect on anything, if anything it would ony create more volunteers and donations, rather than create less, so how anyone could not see it's value is beyond me.

But I didn't come on here to argue the point, just clarify my meaning, and now I've done that, I hope you can at least understand my meaning, without feeling the need to tell people to stop writing silly poems and get out there and help if you really want to do something positive.

Vince

Seb_bixby

I'm not one for the emotional stuff you see all over the place but I liked this. The fact of the matter is that even if this is unrealistic about how a dog would think is a sad reality that this same thing is happening all over the country. The rescues are stretched to the limit, well they certainly are in my area.
If a poem like this makes even a few people rethink giving up their dogs then its a job well done. As is always said, "A dog is for life, not just for christmas". Just a thought as this seems to be the new thing but Maybe that should be changed to "A dog is for life, not just till you have to move"