Jaye Lawrence ([info]wordswoman) wrote,
@ 2008-04-05 21:20:00
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Grrrrrrrr....
Today, during my dog-walking stint at Minnesota Valley Humane Society, I held in my arms the trembling, abused, neglected proof of human evil.

She was a four-month-old pit bull puppy, so skinny her ribs stood out. There were sores on her little body, probably skin irritations caused by living in her own waste for God knows how long. She was abandoned in the MVHS parking lot at night, in a filthy crate, small and hungry and alone.

When I knelt down in her kennel to put the leash on her for a walk, she cowered, shaking, her tail between her legs but still trying to wag. I carried her outside to a picnic table, where she snuggled in my arms until the trembling passed.

She licked my face.

Tonight the pup is safe, clean, and warm. But somewhere out there is a waste of skin and breath, a soulless excuse for a human being who may still have other animals to abuse.

I wish him ill.


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[info]mrissa
2008-04-06 03:20 am UTC (link)
My friend V. got a rescue dog this Christmas. He is a sweetheart and a lovey and learns very quickly, except for one thing: it is taking her forever to train him not to be afraid of snow shovels. He cringes and goes completely submissive; he is in terror.

When I let myself think about why that might be, the anger at his previous human is a bit overwhelming.

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[info]wordswoman
2008-04-06 01:09 pm UTC (link)
Yes...I try to look forward for these dogs, instead of back, because it's too sad and infuriating. Most of them are still so open to loving and being loved, that's the miraculous thing. Given half a chance, the tail starts to wag and there's a big, happy, doggy grin saying, "Play? Play play play?"

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[info]maggiedr
2008-04-06 01:44 pm UTC (link)
I used to have a Border Terrier who cringed at snow shovels. The reason this happened was that I was shoveling outside with him and tossed the shovel aside. It hit the sidewalk and bounced, hitting him in the snout. He was terrified after that, not just of shovels, but nearly anything that seemed like a stick. Of course, I tried to get him past it but now know that I reinforced it by trying to reassure him, and acting in a way I thought was encouraging. But the main thing is, it's not just abuse that causes irregular behavior in dogs.

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[info]wordswoman
2008-04-06 02:08 pm UTC (link)
Good point...you never know the associations they're going to make in their little furry minds. Especially if it's reinforced by attention, positive or negative.

A big part of the dogwalker training at MVHS is just learning not to reinforce the bad stuff. That was eye-opening to me, because the only dog I'd ever had was an untrained farm dog when I was a kid. So I didn't realize that scolding them for jumping up, leash biting/pulling, etc., doesn't work. It's been fun learning more about how they think and can be trained, although I don't get to see most of the dogs more than a couple of times due to the adoption turnover rate (which is thankfully pretty quick, for all but the oldest and most out-of-control dogs).

A lot of the dogs are leash pullers. We're supposed to stop in our tracks when they pull and not move forward again until they stop pulling. It makes for some slooooooow dog circuits around the Humane Society building! But with luck they learn enough from it to prevent a few kids or old ladies from being yanked off their feet by their new pet. It's amazing how strong even a beagle-sized dog can be.

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[info]adarkjewel
2008-04-06 06:48 am UTC (link)
The best curse you can bestow upon an evil person is to say/think: I hope you get exactly what you deserve.

Thank you for caring for this poor animal.

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[info]wordswoman
2008-04-06 01:10 pm UTC (link)
It was easy to do. The hard part was not carrying her straight home! Where my three cats and a rabbit would've had a few stern somethings to say to me...

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[info]copperwise
2008-04-06 09:16 am UTC (link)
I too wish him or her numerous ills.

My beautiful Karma was abandoned when she was about a year old. Should have weighed 80 pounds, and weighed 50 when our roommate found her laying in the road exhausted and covered in sores and mud. She was spayed, housebroken, and fairly well trained -- the vet thought she was likely driven out to the country and dumped because she got too big for an apartment. She was never reported missing and nobody claimed her from the found posters. Now she's 11 and I spoil her and I don't care. It took years for her to get over the trauma.

Mojo is a registered cocker who ended up at animal rescue when he was 2 because his owner spoiled him in the bad way, made him unmanageable and snappish, and then couldn't afford surgery when he developed an eye condition. It has been 4 years since we got him and he still has behavior issues that would make him unadoptable by anybody other than patient forgiving idiots like us.

Magick is a registered golden retriever who came from the Humane Society with his papers and pictures of his AKC champion mother and father. His people dropped him off at the shelter when he was 11 months old because "he cost a lot but we just don't have time to deal with him." At 11 months old he didn't know his given name, that's how little time they spent with him.

Sometimes I look at my Furry Horde and shake with rage at their first owners.

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[info]wordswoman
2008-04-06 01:04 pm UTC (link)
But how lucky they are that they found their way to you! You can make them the best promise a shelter/rescue dog can hear: Nobody will ever treat you that way again.

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[info]calligyna
2008-04-06 04:47 pm UTC (link)
Karma always catches up. It caught up with Michael Vick. Hopefully it'll soon catch up with these organisms who're supposed to be human beings, and before too many animals get hurt.

That pitbull puppy was lucky she met you.

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[info]wordswoman
2008-04-06 07:34 pm UTC (link)
Theo and I stopped by MVHS to look in on her today. She was holding court in the shelter office, wearing a jaunty bandanna around her neck. She had a nice soft beanbag bed to relax on, and toys to play with. One of the shelter staff is going to take her home to foster so she'll have a chance to put some weight on and heal.

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