Animal Training & Behavior ModificationIllness
I think you know that I do not agree at all with Kill "shelters." I've posted on the Internet that "shelters" do not exist for the sake of the animals. They're there as a convenience to society. The dog that runs stray might get into the trash, or take a dump on the yard. It MIGHT be mean or bite someone, so it should be rounded up, and then if nobody wants it (or it happens to be a breed that the shelter doesn't like,) they'll "Euthanize" it.
C'mon, people. Just say it. You'll KILL that dog, because it dared to be wandering around and MIGHT have caused such problems.
There are some good reasons to pick up strays. They could be hit by cars, injured or killed. They may not have vaccinations and that could be a public health hazard. On the other hand, picking them up and then killing them is more than a little overboard. In other countries, a dog running loose doesn't cause such a reaction. There is little spay or neuter going on, and yet the dogs do not outnumber the people and threaten to take over, and the world doesn't end. One such "stray" decided to be my friend while I was in West Africa. She insisted upon playing, and wouldn't take No for an answer. The few hours spent in that "stray' dog's company remain amongst the highlights of 2 month spent in West Africa - both for the good time I had with her, and for the lesson it taught me. Stray dogs aren't inherently dangerous or aggressive. They don't form wild dog packs and steal children from their cribs, either. Shown a little attention and appreciation, they are a pleasant species living alongside us, making our lives better.
But we don't see them that way here. Here in the States, they're seen as Out Of Order, and we just can't abide anything not being rank and file, a place for everything and everything in its place. If it doesn't fit in, then it is inconvenient, and must be disposed of. THAT is what needs to change.
Our society is sick, mentally and spiritually ill, for that it holds us in such high regard and all other life in so low regard that it is okay to end others' lives when they become inconvenient to us. The whole "That dog was getting into my trash, so I shot it" mentality - that's what we have to fight. The binary mentality which does not allow for building a trash box to resolve the problem, for example.
If we can persuade them to come to their senses and see killing another creature as an unacceptable solution, then perhaps we can guide them towards solutions which allow allow all creatures to live in tolerance, recognizing that even if they don't care to have a dog in their life or home, the entire world would be lesser without them.
Peace and Creation,
JT
C'mon, people. Just say it. You'll KILL that dog, because it dared to be wandering around and MIGHT have caused such problems.
There are some good reasons to pick up strays. They could be hit by cars, injured or killed. They may not have vaccinations and that could be a public health hazard. On the other hand, picking them up and then killing them is more than a little overboard. In other countries, a dog running loose doesn't cause such a reaction. There is little spay or neuter going on, and yet the dogs do not outnumber the people and threaten to take over, and the world doesn't end. One such "stray" decided to be my friend while I was in West Africa. She insisted upon playing, and wouldn't take No for an answer. The few hours spent in that "stray' dog's company remain amongst the highlights of 2 month spent in West Africa - both for the good time I had with her, and for the lesson it taught me. Stray dogs aren't inherently dangerous or aggressive. They don't form wild dog packs and steal children from their cribs, either. Shown a little attention and appreciation, they are a pleasant species living alongside us, making our lives better.
But we don't see them that way here. Here in the States, they're seen as Out Of Order, and we just can't abide anything not being rank and file, a place for everything and everything in its place. If it doesn't fit in, then it is inconvenient, and must be disposed of. THAT is what needs to change.
Our society is sick, mentally and spiritually ill, for that it holds us in such high regard and all other life in so low regard that it is okay to end others' lives when they become inconvenient to us. The whole "That dog was getting into my trash, so I shot it" mentality - that's what we have to fight. The binary mentality which does not allow for building a trash box to resolve the problem, for example.
If we can persuade them to come to their senses and see killing another creature as an unacceptable solution, then perhaps we can guide them towards solutions which allow allow all creatures to live in tolerance, recognizing that even if they don't care to have a dog in their life or home, the entire world would be lesser without them.
Peace and Creation,
JT
Labels: Illness in our society, kill shelters.
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