I have always loved animals of all kinds and have had cats or dogs for pets since I was a child – you probably have too! And I remember to this day how my sister and I were taught that we must take care of these pets and always treat them with gentleness and love. If in a fit of temper we ever hit a pet, we were given punishments to remind us never to do such a thing again. Being especially an enthusiast of dogs, I have seen so many things in the past few years that have made me absolutely sick. We have moved several times and have been unfortunate in having for neighbors people who let their children abuse their pets – and we have yet to see any of these people come out and rescue a dog or cat and scold or punish the children.
What has gone wrong?
If kindness is not taught at an early age, a child will grow up without it and become a bully in later life, abusing those weaker than he is. I will never stand by and see an animal abused, however, when I have interfered, I've made enemies of some of my neighbors. Can it be that people are just too lazy to teach their children how beautifully a pet will respond to love and care as opposed to disrespect and abuse?
Then there are people who go off on vacations and leave a dog or cat alone for several days in a back yard with a bowl of water and some dry food. And, of course, the dog becomes so lonely and so fearful that his owners are not coming back so he barks and barks and barks... continuously until the owners return.
This is cruelty to all of the neighbors, but the owners couldn't care less, even when told about the barking. They have saved money by not boarding the dog and that is the only thing important to them.
There is a new trend regarding dogs that is hard to understand: People buy them and then go through the motions of taking care of them, which in their minds is just to feed them and give them a place to sleep. Nowadays, with crime rampant, many are bought to function as watchdogs. As for giving the dog love, attention, and gratitude – they feel no obligations in those areas.
My heart aches for poor pets that are abused, shut off from proper love, and especially then they are confined to small apartments or yards all day long. They are alone with no attention, love, or appreciation. There ought to be a law against such cruelty, which I consider to be worse than physical cruelty.
________________
|
|
|
|
Contributor's Note
For information on the right way to care for a dog, see the links below:
|
|
|
|
|
