Life at the End of a Chain

Life at the End of a Chain 

I would like to talk a little bit about how folks become pet owners in the first place. More specifically, about the importance of how folks choose their pets in a pet store or other sales environment. This choice may be the most important one we make as potential pet owners, because it will impact every aspect of that animal’s life going forward. Let me elaborate.

There are untold thousands of pets who have safe and happy homes right now, because someone made an educated choice to bring that pet into an environment which was prepared for them in every way. They are safe, well cared for and loved. That is the good news.

The bad news is that there are untold thousands of pets who live their lives in horrible conditions, afraid and hungry, unloved and thirsty, longing for someone to touch them as they waste away their days at the end of a chain…their only contact with people being the dry kibbles tossed in one bowl and water sloshed into the other each day or so (usually). Often exposed to the elements, vulnerable to disease, these animals live and die with little to no contact with their “people” or other animals. It is a sad state indeed.

So how does this second scenario happen? Who could do such a thing to an animal like that? It is heartbreaking, but the answer is not complicated (one of the answers)… Here’s just one way the scene plays out: Mommy and Daddy and little Johnny are walking around and through the flea market/jockey lot one bright spring morning, when they come upon a man selling puppies for $10 “to a good home.” And of course little Johnny jumps up and down and Mommy holds one and agrees how sweet they are, but Daddy says, “No, no…we don’t have a place to keep a dog.” Then five minutes later, Mommy, Daddy, little Johnny and Wally are looking for a pet shop to buy dog food and a collar.

This, my friends, is a classic impulse buy. And buying that Ronco Rotisserie (Just set it and Forget it) on TV on impulse is one thing…but impulse buying a living animal is quite another, all kidding aside.

Well, things are great for our little family for about nine months, then Daddy says Wally is getting too big to be in the house. So just like that, they put an igloo in the back yard and, since they don’t have a fenced- in yard, on to a chain Wally goes…the kind that attaches to that triangle that screws into the ground.

Well, time passes...and the chain gets tangled up a lot, and that 50 ft. chain is often reduced to 10ft…sometimes less as Wally paces and yearns for someone to visit him in his captivity. And sometimes it gets so tangled that Wally can’t get in out of the weather or reach his water. Little Johnny takes him off his chain every day or so for a while and plays with him or walks him…but the seasons change and before long little Johnny becomes just Johnny, then Johnny becomes John…and well… the visits dwindle with Wally, eventually becoming just an occasional attaboy at feeding time, and a rare pat on the head and semi-wrestle play on a really special day.

And so, Wally, once the twinkle in his people's eyes, spends the rest of his days at the end of a chain, longing for the love and affection he once knew, from the family who has now abandoned him, put him out to pasture, for reasons he does not understand.

*To this family's credit, they did not surrender Wally to a shelter where he probably would have been euthanized. But it is my opinion that an isolated and lonely life at the end of a chain after being exposed to a life of love and affection is but a close second behind euthanasia...tough call.

And this drama plays out every day, in every corner of the country…all because people don’t take the responsibility of pet ownership seriously. All puppies are great, but they become dogs…all kitties are wonderful, but they become cats…all parrots are delightful, but they are not quiet.

And the saddest, most unacceptable aspect of this whole thing? WE take the pet…the pet doesn’t ask to go with us. The pet is helpless and totally at the mercy of how we will treat it. The pet has no voice…no way out if things get bad. It is heartbreaking. Mainly because if the pet COULD talk...my guess is that it would ask for only the simplest of things..."Please give me food and water...please let me love you forever and please never abandon me."

Impulse purchases. That’s what so many unassuming pets are, when you get right down to it. Something that makes us feel good RIGHT NOW, so we buy it! Well, impulse purchases are fine with Snickers and shoes and Ronco products, but when it comes to taking on a pet, it is NOT okay. It is not fair to an animal to bring it into an environment that cannot sustain its existence, and love and nurture and help it to flourish. All pets deserve these standards, and if Mommy and Daddy haven’t thought it through and prepared for the new addition, then in that moment, they need to tell little Johnny, “No.” Period. And the answer can remain, “No,” or it can be a starting point for the conversation necessary about what pet ownership looks like. That ‘No’ can turn into a ‘Yes,’ just not on impulse.

Owning a pet is a mutual agreement. It is a contract between you and your pet. It says that 'I promise to take you into my life and feed you and care for you in every way to ensure that you are as healthy and happy as possible for your entire life with me…and I won’t let you down just because you grow up and your needs change.' And, in return, Wally might say 'I promise to love you with every fiber of my being every day and every night. And I will never leave you…and I will give my life to protect you…because I love you…because you love me and protect me…and I know you will never let me down…and if I knew how to love you more I would…and thank you for taking care of me…(did I mention how loyal I’ll be and how much I love you and how I will NEVER abandon you?) '                         

*** The following site contains a video which is profoundly moving...I caution you to be prepared (emotionally) to view it. I am including it here because of its import, and I urge you to share it with others so that its message might find the right target.

How Could You? A Shelter Dog Story

A safe and stable environment, nourishment, water, love and contact, a plan ‘b’ in case something changes (like a new baby) that will not leave the pet out in the cold, etc…these are things that should be considered before taking on a pet…and they’re not complicated or hard…they just need to be considered and deemed sustainable so that your new pet can have the quality of life he/she deserves.

Some places/organizations recognize the seriousness of buying (or obtaining) pets on impulse, and are trying to do something about it. Back in June 2011, the city of San Francisco began consideration of theThe Humane Pet Acquisition Proposal, asking for a ban on impulse buying of puppies and kittens. They maintain that buying animals on impulse in pet stores is cruel to not only the animal who will often end up like Wally above, but also supports the unspeakably cruel puppy mill system that supplies the pet stores. The Proposal has since been expanded to included virtually all store pets...fin, feather, fur...all.  : ) 

So…just as in so many things in life, it is no harder to do this the RIGHT way than it is to do it the wrong way. A little preparation will go a long way toward making that adorable kitten’s life – her WHOLE life – safe and rewarding. And a safe and happy kitty makes for a fulfilled and happy owner.

Win/Win. 

    ADOPT FROM A KILL SHELTER -- YOU WILL CHANGE AT LEAST 2 LIVES

                                                     Anderson County Animal Shelter

 Foothills Humane Society (Pickens County)