Wednesday, Oct. 02, 2002 / 11:41 a.m.

~Spay and Neuter Your Animals, People!~

The point is this, there are thousands, no, tens of thousands, no, hundreds of thousands, more probably, of unwanted domesticated animals in this country. In shelters, abandoned, abused. Cats, dogs, rabbits, more. The ones in shelters are executed, gassed, heaped in piles and burned. Why add more? Is it ignorance? Is it a case of �out of sight, out of mind�? If you don�t know what goes on over at the Humane Society or the Pound does that mean you don�t have to think about it, you can acquire a dog or a cat because you think it would be good to have one around, but you don�t need to even consider medical costs, or spaying or neutering� much less spending quality time with the animal?

Penelope and her husband acquired a dog a few months ago, maybe a year. They both work all day, they keep the dog tied up outside, or inside locked in a room. They let her out, tie her up. They travel frequently, someone looks after the dog. The dog has been hit by a car for the second time, she told me. Why she tells me, I have no clue. She knows I care about animals, is she asking for my advice? Doesn�t she know I�ll give it whether she wants it or not? She was telling me about the dog being let out and running from them, not minding their calls to return, so the dog stayed out all night and got hit by a car, again, has a large gash on her head. No doubt they�ve not taken her to a vet. They didn�t last time until I suggested the dog may have internal injuries.

I was suggesting the dog is unhappy, the dog needs land, needs someone to play with her, take her out for walks, not just tie her up, perhaps she should consider giving the dog to someone else.

A few minutes later, after she thanked me for my advice, I asked if the dog is spayed. No. I told her if cost is an issue there are low-cost spaying/neutering programs. Then it all made sense, the dog is in heat, she is running away from them so she can get laid. It�s a natural response in animals. And some people� see my previous �horny� entries.

So they�re not going to spay the dog, she goes into �heat�, she runs, they tire of chasing her, she stays out all night, they live on a busy street, the dog will be impregnated, she will be hit by a car, or she will give birth to puppies that aren�t wanted, or will be wanted, but will be adopted by people who could�ve instead gone to a shelter to acquire their pets, save one or two from inevitable execution.

Makes me sick. And I know that people do not listen to me. I am terrible at informing people of what they don�t know, I come across as superior, or cocky, or something else. I wish I could teach people, I wish I could change the world, but I feel helpless, my hands feel tied. I honestly feel that no one ever respects me, what I know, or that I could have answers. So why tell me the crap? I want to tell Penelope to stop telling me about the dog. When I ask her �What�s the haps?�, which precipitated this whole issue, this whole conversation, and prompted me to write this now, she should just say, "Not much�. Not many haps today.

I�ve learned to turn a blind eye to the horrors of this life. I don�t see the strays, I ignore the homeless, I don�t try to convince anyone of anything. You believe in god, you believe we should go to war, you believe in beating your dog, you tell your kids to stay away from people of a different color, you let your dog give birth so the children will learn about the joys of nature, and you drive them around, all of them, in a large SUV, you commute 40 miles to work each day, alone, what can I do, really? Really. I, me, I can do nothing to change the way you live.

I can take care of my cats, I can spay or neuter any future animals I live with, I can recycle, I can protest or demonstrate, I can write, but that�s all I can do, live my life the way I know is best. I wish I could be one of those people who really believes she can change the world, the one who works at it, tirelessly, ceaselessly, hopefully, optimistically, but that�s not me. I think I take the rejection of logic and �common sense�, as espoused by me, very personally, and the overall futility is disheartening. I just can�t� won�t do it.

I�m thinking everyone will die. Every dog must have her day. The dog will die, she will be hit by another car on their busy road and she will die. And there is nothing I can do about it. There is no use worrying about it. Cows die, pigs die, chickens die, lambs die, every day, so I can grab a burger or a chicken club. Or have a lamb sandwich at the Greek Fest. Somehow, using them for food seems more kind, more noble, than the neglect and abuse of �pets�. Especially �organically/ranch raised� animals.

I have no solutions here. I�m simply sickened by irresponsible �pet owners�. Sickened. I know Penelope won�t listen to me, she only laughed when I asked if the dog has been spayed. As Leigh�s husband laughed when I expressed shock at hearing they�d let their cat out all night (a cat I gave them, coincidentally named Penelope), and then the cat was hit by a car and killed.

The �new boy� threw a paper clip at me a little while ago, said he was trying to get my attention, but saw me writing and didn�t want to come in my cubicle for fear I�d think he was trying to read my writing. He is SO curious about me, everything I do, what music I listen to on my Walkman, what I�m writing, how he can read it, etc. I said I have a name, he could�ve called out to me, but I have on my headphones and he said I didn�t hear him, he had called. Kukla sits in front of him, she was very much available, I pointed this out, said, �Ask Kukla your questions, she knows everything I know, she has worked here longer than I have, she�s right there, just stand up and ask�� Kukla heard me and said, �He likes you better�. Apparently he likes me too much. There are eight other people in this department who can also help him.

I apparently do try to change the world, in spite of everything I just wrote� I just asked Penelope about the dog again, told her I�m worried, asked if they took the dog to the vet this time. No. She says last time it cost $90, I said, �Animals can be expensive�. I asked if they cleaned the gash, she didn�t know how to answer, then said they used peroxide. I said that�s good, at least they cleaned it. The gash. Her word, �gash�. I told her again, maybe the dog would be better off with another couple, another family. She agrees. I suggested that they may love the dog, she said yes, sure, but maybe the dog would be better off elsewhere. Dammit, I WAS diplomatic. Why do I sell myself short?

She says her husband wanted a dog.

Oy vey. People need to think before acting. I know it�s hard, oh I know.

Cost of the War in Iraq
(JavaScript Error)

Run, Kitty, Run!

Previous - Next

New - 2012 - 2009 - 2008 - 2007 - 2006 - 2005 - 2004 - 2003 - 2002 - 2001 - Profile - Contact - Notes - Rings - Diaryland - Favourite Entries - ReadMe - Surveys - Random Entry

Recent Entries:

It Was 40 Years Ago Today - 9:44 a.m. , Friday, Oct. 12, 2012

Dead Black Cat - 9:07 a.m. , Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012

As Seen From Outer Space - 1:07 a.m. , Saturday, Dec. 05, 2009

I Survived to Tell the Tale - 7:29 a.m. , Friday, Sept. 18, 2009

Reading My Life - 12:55 p.m. , Saturday, Sept. 12, 2009

Happy Kitty

My Diary Was Reviewed at Ms Lovejoy's - Get Yours Reviewed Too!

Registered I was a nominee