Victims Of Our Callous Society

[puggy_puggy]

Victims of our callous society

Kelly Ryan From: Herald Sun January 08, 2010 12:00AM

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/victims-o...o-1225817141940

HEARTLESS humans dumping adorable animals in record numbers have forced a shelter to turn cats and dogs away for the first time since its doors opened in 1984.

Staff at the Australian Animal Protection Society in Keysborough are distraught at the large numbers of cats and dogs callously dumped on their doorstep when they turn up for work every morning.

Three kittens left for dead in a sealed box yesterday were lucky to have been found in time.

Mother and daughter Sue and Tash McKeough were crying when they arrived at the shelter after rescuing the terrified trio from certain death at Sandown railway station.

"We heard they were turning animals away here because they are too full but with three cats, two dogs and a three-week-old baby at home we just couldn't keep them," a tearful Tash McKeough said.

"But by dumping them and leaving it to us to save them and hand them over to the AAPS, these cruel people put us in the same position."

With a "No Kill" policy in place whenever possible, the shelter is overflowing with hard-to-home animals begging for a second chance with a loving new family.

Bull arab Elly is pure joy on three legs as she deftly chases, herds, pins down and chomps on a soccer ball.

It is impossible to understand how the nine-month-old, who must have accumulated some big vet bills in her short life, is now homeless.

Just as able and fast as a four-legged canine, she sits on command and looks deliriously happy when playing ball with a human.

In a poignant example that animals often show more compassion than humans, black kitten Shadow, a female aged 16 weeks, has protectively befriended Sonny, a 14-week-old white male, who is deaf.

AAPS animal welfare co-ordinator Sue Thompson said it would be impossible to separate the pair, whose bond is already strong.

Ms Thompson said a combination of the economic crisis, a third kitten-breeding season for the year, interstate relocations and unwanted Christmas presents had filled the shelter to overflowing.

"It is a horrendous situation for us because we are here to try to help these animals find new homes," she said.

"But with so many coming in we are run off our feet, out of room and - with no sign of a let-up - at our wits' end "

The Australian Animal Protection Society is at 10 Homeleigh Rd, Keysborough. Call 9798 8415.

[Kirty]

I saw this in the paper today, great article. And yay for the AAPS getting some well deserved publicity!!

Edited January 12, 2010 by Kirty

[StaceyB]

I feel so sorry for shelters at this time of year, it must break the staff's hearts having to turn animals away knowing what will likely happen to them.

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

Has been happening in pounds across Sydney from about a month before Christmas and will continue for some time to come.

VERY distressing for those who work there and those of us who rescue, we are all overwhelmed.

[spottychick]

Aren't we humans a sorry pathetic species. With some fabulous exceptions of course, like these lovely people.

[mutt lover]

I couldn't work at a shelter I just wouldn't be tough enough and would want to get them all good homes!, Years ago I had a friend who told me that whenever her and her family went on holidays her parents would just open the car door out in the middle of nowhere and let the dogs out and her and her sisters would be watching them chasing the car down the road,

I couldn't believe what I was hearing and I told her what I thought of anyone that would do that, funny enough couple of years later she had a horse that had foundered badly and as she had 2 young children and only lived 5 mins away from paddock said she didn't have time to go to horse but wouldn't give it away or sell it, so I took up some pig tail stakes and hot tape and made yard in paddock and would drive up from my place which was 45mins away to look after her horse every day I ended up calling the vet and dobbing her in as horse kept getting out, I ended up severing the friendship as I want nothing to do with people who don't care for their animals friends or not!

[Kelly_Louise]

I couldn't work at a shelter I just wouldn't be tough enough and would want to get them all good homes!, Years ago I had a friend who told me that whenever her and her family went on holidays her parents would just open the car door out in the middle of nowhere and let the dogs out and her and her sisters would be watching them chasing the car down the road,

Oh goodness, that literally turned my stomach...

Cruelty, callousness and deliberate uncaring at it's worst.

Some people make me physically want to vomit.

Bless all the pound/shelter/rescue staff and volunteers at this horrid time. It's one thing to know you can't save them all, but when you have to physically turn your back because you can't save them all must be heart wrenching.

If only we lived in a perfect world... where there are none to save, or they're few and far between...

[Her Majesty Dogmad]

There's a load of beautiful dogs that will all be put to sleep at Hawkesbury Pound tomorrow morning - there is simply no room to hold them over.

They deserve so much more.

[Nannas]

I couldn't work at a shelter I just wouldn't be tough enough and would want to get them all good homes!, Years ago I had a friend who told me that whenever her and her family went on holidays her parents would just open the car door out in the middle of nowhere and let the dogs out and her and her sisters would be watching them chasing the car down the road,

I kow people (now) who do the same type of thing.

They get a pup and within a few months to a year drop it at the pound and get another one.

One abt 5 months old got sick and they just ignored it until it dropped dead.

It is fairly common here for people to dump dogs on relatively quiet roads.

A work mate was picking up JRT puppies tied in chaff bags and thrown onto the road side for about 4 months. One puppy per bag and all up about 5 bags, all on different days. He is an elderly man who LOVES his JRT's so took care of them and rehomed them.

I was also told about people who dumped a pregnant girl as they didn't want to deal with the puppies and were too embarrassed to take her to the pound/shelter,,as they had seen another dog (at the pound/shelter) that they wanted and knew they wouldn't be allowed to get it if they were caught dumping their pregnant dog.

Too many people like that out there I'm afraid.

[Ons]

there's a lovely lady near me who runs an animal shelter from her home

in the november heatwave she found a box near her front gate as she came home from work

someone had put five puppies in there and taped the box shut two of the puppies were already dead

all the ************ scumbag had to do was ring Jean and say they had these puppies, not leave them in a box to die

[ellies mum]

there's a lovely lady near me who runs an animal shelter from her home

in the november heatwave she found a box near her front gate as she came home from work

someone had put five puppies in there and taped the box shut two of the puppies were already dead

all the ************ scumbag had to do was ring Jean and say they had these puppies, not leave them in a box to die

Thats why I now say that animals have more humanity....than ppl.

[sandgrubber]

I don't think callousness is the problem.

Sadly, more pups and kittens are born than there are good homes to take them in. No wonder so many vets have spey/neuter as a mantra. It must be depressing to be the one holding the green needle for so many animals who never found a loving home . . . and knowing that for every one that is euthanised, there are probably several who meet a less humane early death.

[The Spotted Devil]

I don't think callousness is the problem.

Sadly, more pups and kittens are born than there are good homes to take them in. No wonder so many vets have spey/neuter as a mantra. It must be depressing to be the one holding the green needle for so many animals who never found a loving home . . . and knowing that for every one that is euthanised, there are probably several who meet a less humane early death.

Hi Sandgrubber

Sadly I would beg to differ - yes, there are many perfectly healthy kittens that are euthanased due to uncontrolled strays breeding but there are SO many surrendered and euthanased cats that are perfectly healthy (or they are until they experience the stress of being dumped) and friendly.....for reasons as varied as "moving house", "moving interstate", "divorce", "allergic" etc etc. Some of the excuses are flimsy and see through. There are numerous cases I know of where adults and University students purchase a cute kitten and dump it when they go on holidays because it's too inconvenient to pay for boarding kennels or return to their country of origin. I know of one particular case where someone would buy a kitten every February and then dump it in December when he went overseas for a holiday of several months.

At the same time, I'm tired of excuses from people who don't desex their female cats because they "can't afford it" but guess what? They can afford a holiday no problem! It's about priorities and, unfortunately, the humble family pet is often way down the line. The waste of life is just disgraceful....53,000 cats and kittens are admitted to Victorian shelters every year. Nearly 35,000 are euthanased. The figures for dogs have improved over the years but there are still many who will discard the old in favour of the exciting new puppy. The rest seem to expect their pup/dog to require no effort on their part in terms of training. There are a few genuine surrenders but not as many as their former owners would have us believe.

All I ask is that somewhere, somehow in my years of research and education to come I can help make just the slightest difference. To that end, I'm off to write up a paper and prepare to give a free seminar on cat behaviour tonight

[Nannas]

I don't think callousness is the problem.

Sadly, more pups and kittens are born than there are good homes to take them in. No wonder so many vets have spey/neuter as a mantra. It must be depressing to be the one holding the green needle for so many animals who never found a loving home . . . and knowing that for every one that is euthanised, there are probably several who meet a less humane early death.

Maybe not with all people but with a far chunk of them it is downright callousness.

In every town I have lived there has been many many people just having litters upon litters as it is cheaper just to dunk puppies/kittens in buckets of water at birth than to desex. (or dump them at 6-8 weeks after mummies boobies have dried)

I know heaps of people who just drop one dog/cat at the pound so they can get a new dog/cat.

BYB's would have nothing on the thousands of people who own dogs but don't desex and then just dump unwanted puppies.

That is being callous. Knowing each season your bitch will have pups and you can just dump/drown them.

[sandgrubber]

I don't think callousness is the problem.

Sadly, more pups and kittens are born than there are good homes to take them in. No wonder so many vets have spey/neuter as a mantra. It must be depressing to be the one holding the green needle for so many animals who never found a loving home . . . and knowing that for every one that is euthanised, there are probably several who meet a less humane early death.

Maybe not with all people but with a far chunk of them it is downright callousness.

In every town I have lived there has been many many people just having litters upon litters as it is cheaper just to dunk puppies/kittens in buckets of water at birth than to desex. (or dump them at 6-8 weeks after mummies boobies have dried)

I know heaps of people who just drop one dog/cat at the pound so they can get a new dog/cat.

BYB's would have nothing on the thousands of people who own dogs but don't desex and then just dump unwanted puppies.

That is being callous. Knowing each season your bitch will have pups and you can just dump/drown them.

I agree . . .the difference is semantic or of degrees. The most critical callousness is that of people who allow dogs (cats, ferrets, rabbits, or what-have-you) to breed without adequate thought about where the resulting puppies will go and what sort of lives they will lead. I am p.o.'d with people who defend the 'right to breed' without recognising the widespread abuse of that 'right'. I don't like government intervention . . . but nudges from the government in the direction of making spey/neuter be the norm seem to be a good thing.