As we arrive here, we’re always a bit anxious about what animals will cross our path that need rescue. Usually, we don’t have to wait long until they do … This time, we decided to adopt two cats from the CARA Animal Clinic in Manila, Pola and Dayang-Dayang. They had been there the longest (over a year) and deserved a break. Not all rescues go well and the challenges of running an operation that is still in the early phases of construction, well, proved too much of a challenge really and Dayang showed us that there was still a way out that we hadn’t thought of. A few weeks later, an emaciated female doggie named Ginny performed the same trick and proved that, contrary to popular belief, it WAS possible to escape through the rotating food bowl system. However, the next day she returned by herself, while the shy and ever watchful Dayang remains at large, although we do occasionally catch a glimpse of her. So we’ve put out traps and leave food at a few spot in the hope that we can still catch her.

Pola and Dayang-Dayang check out the hotel room

And the good news is … we DID!!! After managing to elude our traps for 2 weeks, finally Dayang was caught using one of our “raccoon traps” that was sent to us by dear friends and supporters in the U.S.

One day I was coming back from the Sebaste Fiesta, when I noticed an emaciated and mangy looking old dog walking by the side of the road. I stopped and had a word with the apparent neighbours who proclaimed that the house the dog belonged to was for rent with the owners living 45km down the road, with no provisions made for the clearly aging dog. The next day I picked her up and it became apparent she was in dire need of some serious help.

Literally: on the road to recovery!

The sad face of an abandoned old dog

A more mundane task was to improve the interior of the cattery so that the resident cats can behave like normal cats do as much as possible, i.e. scratch, climb and play around. We placed three tree trunks with a few small platforms and provided some climbing facilities and lying space that even our 3-legged Frosty can reach. Although our younger cats seem to use it more that the older ones, the facilities seem to have been received well. Hopefully this will keep them not only happy, but also mentally and physically fit!

Cattery interior with plenty of climbing opportunity

At last the work on our facilities progressed enough for us to be able to allow the cats into their safe haven, their own cattery! We lost 3 cats (Mimi, Jose, Roady) over the past few years to the dangers of running around unsupervised and we decided that the cats’ safety was now top priority. A few days ago, they were given the opportunity to sniff out their new quarters. These are still a bit bare admittedly, but more fun stuff (like tree trunks to climb and sharpen claws) will be added soon, making them feel at home even more. Here’s an impression:

Inside of one of the catteries

Cats sniffing out their new home

From left to right: Bora, Mitch, Frosty and Mozart check out the first of our two catteries. The second one may be seen on the top picture on the right. The catteries can either be connected or kept separate whenever that is required, e.g. to give special care to kittens.

Thanks to our hardworking builders led by Engr. Conrado Letrodo Jr., progress on the construction of our 2 catteries, 6 dog kennels and clinic is good. There are 2 quarantine kennels that are separated from the other kennels by walls which are situated right next to the clinic. Our (soon to be) vets from ASU that perform the small operations there such as spaying and neutering, can put the animals in these quarantine kennels to recover. Similarly, the catteries may be separated from one another so that one can be used as a recovery or quarantine.

Catteries in the far left corner and dog kennels

Dog kennels

The guys at work: well done chaps!

After Mimi, and very recently, Jose very unfortunately disappeared it became clear that we had to hurry to provide especially the cats with safe housing. As you can see in the previous post, the catteries and dog kennels are coming along very nicely. On the other hand, we managed to save and/or help a few more needy animals. Here are their portraits:

Bora (l) and Roady

Smeagol II (rescued by Wout and Bhel van Hulst, temporarily at ASU)

Lucky (rescued by Alicia Adams, adopted by Maarten and Claudia Baks)

Chikka (Tumor removed from his cheek, returned to owner)

Update 18 Nov.: Chikka died while in the care of his owners. The tumor was not removed entirely and the remainder grew back. Most likely it was so agressive that it had already spread throughout his body. How sad …

Update 25 Dec.: Kitten Roady somehow drew the agression of Snowy (one of our dogs). Being too small to fight her off, he suffered a bite which started an infection of which he died. I was shattered to hear this news. Only a short time before our safe haven for cats is ready, he fell victim to one of the many dangers that cats here face. Thank God that we were able to rescue him from the street and give him a relatively trouble free childhood …

Update 25 Dec.:Fortunately there is good news as well. Smeagol II was adopted by one of the ASU students. I had to leave him in the care of ASU because our shelter wasn’t finished at the time and he carried the contagious mange mites. He soon turned into the ASU VetMed’s most favourite pet, which resulted in his adoption. Fabulous!!!

So far, we tried to cater for our adoptees, well, in our house and compound really. With the limited number of animals that we can keep at present, this is no disaster, but there is only VERY limited room for expansion in case of e.g. emergencies and rescues. And then really only for cats. Clearly something needed to be done. Since we were going to extend our house towards the currently unused backyard, we decided to include dog kennels, catteries and even a small “clinic” in the plans. During my last visit, this is what I found at the back of the house:

Construction started 2 weeks earlier

While I was there, progress was slowed down because of the side-effects of severe typhoons that struck the northern island of Luzon, causing large parts of Manila and surroundings to be flooded. It’s difficult to mix concrete in the pooring rain, so we simply had to wait for better weather.

In the mean time, plans were being discussed and refined and we decided on a total of 6 dog kennels, two of which that could be used as quarantine, 2 adjoining catteries and the clinic. I know that doesn’t sound like much compared to the “proper” shelters we have here in Europe, but it is a good start which will allow us to house rescued strays until they are adopted or transferred to a real shelter (there are preliminary discussions with Aklan State University for this). At least we will be able to provide a safe haven for those animals that we put up. Hopefully, I will be able to prove to all our partners and visitors that this sort of facility is just what we need and that it provides great improvement in areas of animal care, management and hygiene.

Two (quarantine) dog kennels

By the time I left, a little over 3 weeks later, the outline of the resulting building work was already becoming more apparent. Let’s hope all goes according to plan!

Soon after we got our furry friend (he was rescued from Death Row at the Manila Dog Pound), it became apparent that Falco was a, well errr, “special” case. He was exceedingly hostile towards strangers and really only accepted one single human in his life, the one person who was looking after him at that particular time. During our last visit in January/February. I was unable to connect to him for lack of knowledge. This time, I came armed with knowledge and some practical experience however …

After a few weeks of training through the fence

As expected, Falco was highly agressive towards me (or to any other stranger for that matter) when I first approached his enclosure. He would readily accept treats, but as soon as he had cashed in, he’d be back to showing of teeth and fierceful barking. As you know, I did this excellent course in dog training a few months ago and I decided to try 2 courses of action. The first is to try approach the dog behind a tennis racket or something similar for protection, but in any case this method is a bit confrontational. Well, it sort of worked, apart from the part where I would have to remove a leash from his neck. Having counted on something like this, I brought a special “hunting” lead, which is basically a noose with a stop (we definitely don’t want to choke him), making it very easy to quickly release a hunting dog. Results were very mixed: one day he would accept the leash without too much protest and even let me take it away. Other days he would object strongly and even attack the racket. Bit scary actually because he was not about to take prisoners. Conclusion, this method caused too much stress.

So, time to move on to the next approach, the subtle one as taught to me in the (Positive Reinforcement) course. I decided to establish calm dominance by taking firm control of his food. Now being the only one to feed him, I would bring his food bowl, sit near the fence and waited for him to calm down. Then I’d pretend to be eating from the bowl (alpha always eats first). At first, he went mad! Viciously barking and showing of teeth. I calmly “continued my meal” however (i.e. no threats from my side). After he would calm down, I’d place the bowl in the rotating ring: mayhem again! OK, out goes the food: lesson being that agression equals empty stomach! That first evening, it took 30 mins. before he got the idea and actually “sat” while waiting for the food. Then, I also taught him (yes, through the fence) to “sit” on command. At the moment, I’m even working on “down”! This process was repeated over the course of a week, after which Falco now patiently waits until I finish “eating”. BINGO!

When it comes to walking, our helper (the only person he completely accepts) puts the muzzle on him and brings him out. Before (7 months ago) he would be very nervous when I took over, even jumping up at me and/or trying to bite (but not so viciously). No more of that this time! He happily accepts that I take over the leash and of course I go out the gate first (the right of an alpha dog). As before, outside he’s quite manageable. I take him back to his enclosure, remove the lead (no problems now) and then the helper takes the muzzle away.

When I was away to Boracay a few days, he was genuinely happy to see me again: wagging his tail and shaking his hind quarters just like Snowy does. So I think we can say that we have made a lot of progress and I’m confident that one day he will be a manageable dog all around.

When we go to the beach, I put him on a 20m leash so he can run around a little. Usually he just chases Snowy but completely ignores our other dog Arwen. Strange! One day, he saw another dog (he’s still exceedingly dominant towards other dogs) and ran so fast he broke the collar!!! Oh my God, how was I going to get him back??? Well, after having checked out the other dog and asserted his dominance he actually followed me while I was picking up his normal leash which was hanging off a nearby coconut-tree. I put the hunting-leash on him and that was all there was to it. I was REALLY surprised! Since then I even let him run free a few times, but the last time he went after a dog that we hadn’t seen coming and it took a while to get close enough again to get his attention. So I won’t let him completely free again, but the 20m leash is a good alternative.

On doing his training over the past weeks and the way he acts around strangers in our compound, I noticed that he would bark viciously when I showed him my open hand (I actually tried to calm him, sort of like the “Stay!” signal). Hmmm, I guess that might make a good “threat” for those employing unfriendly training methods: show your hand as if you want to beat him. And when he tries to “bite” at you inside the compound, he also goes for the shoes. This leads me to conclude that he might have been beaten and kicked as a puppy and since then developed fear for hands and feet.

Sitting by my side on the beach

One final thing. When we take a rest on the beach, Falco likes to sit next to me, even approaching me and lying down beside me. One time, he even showed me his belly. However, if I pet him too long, he will growl softly to indicate he’s had enough. If I stop then, there’s no problem. Outside of the enclosure, others can pet him too, but he will warn earlier than when I do it. Again, I think he’s well on his way to recovery but at this stage (and with our current time schedule of two visits every 6 months or so) it’s unclear how far we will get. Falcito is a beautiful dog and both my wife and I are glad we could help in saving him, despite of the mental problem the poor fellow has had to suffer. He suffers no more however and is putting in good work guarding our property. Big hooray for our Falcito!!!

Is there such an unthinkable thing: a counterargument to animal welfare? It would seem so. Would you believe that these people really exist, animal welfare adversaries? Unfortunately, it’s only too common to find that, as an animal welfare proponent, you get to hear or read abuse. Apparently, quite a few people still think that as a human being, you should only dedicate yourself to helping your own species. Pretty much like nothing else exists, or matters. Personally, I feel that such people are very narrow minded (I’m avoiding use of the term “ignorant” here) and I dare say that while criticising animal welfare, they do ZILCH for the human race themselves. In fact, notable activists for humans have never spoken out against those that help animals. Often, quite the contrary, such as the great Mahatma Gandhi, who said: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way that its animals are treated”.

Anyway, I’ll try and collect some of these adversaries’ points of view here and address them. So yes, these are REAL arguments that me or any of my associates have heard or read. Please help the fight against ignorance by adding to this list (just add a comment).

• Why don’t you help people? Millions are starving all over the world

As a matter of fact, most of us already do!! What I truly hate about this argument is that it suggests that you have to make a choice between people and animals. Well you don’t! You can actually help BOTH people and animals quite effectively. In fact, I strongly believe that since we’re all stuck on this lump of rock that’s hurtling through the Universe at immense speed, animals, plants (for brevity I’ll lump those together as “nature”) and ourselves need each other. Any idea how long we would survive if we’d kill all insects? As a consequence, and considering that most animal welfare proponents are kind natured, this is a nonsense argument. In case you’re wondering, we put a few kids through school, provide a regular supply of work for many families and do regular food supplement events for the less fortunate in my wife’s home village (80 families was the last count). Oh and we save a few dogs and cats as well while we’re at it.

• Why don’t you spend your time fighting eliminating violence, drug abuse, crime etc?

Again, this argument suggests that it is a choice that you have to make or at least that there is some simple and sequential relationship: stamp out all crime and suffering and then we’ll worry about the rest. We all know that this is totally besides daily practice. Furthermore, professional law enforcers and top rating politicians all over the world dedicate their time and career to solving these problems. I’m flattered that those who use this argument apparently feel that animal welfare proponents somehow know much better how to solve these problems that date back to the dawn of (human) time, but in reality, what’s the chance that we can make a significant impact? We already do what we can by practising the love and respect for all creatures, humans and animals alike, that we preach.

• Helping animals diverts funds that could be used for people

Apart from the fact that it costs so little of your time and money to see to animal’s basic needs, those who use this argument fail to see the intimate relationship that exists between all living things (animals, plants, humans). By helping animals, we’re (how selfish!) in fact helping ourselves. A few examples perhaps? At Kalibo Airport there is a colony of stray cats and the airport authorities are worried about their increasing numbers, spread of disease, nuisance to travellers etc. When we regularly feed the cats and spay/neuter them all, we can control the population, keep the animals healthy and happy and, here comes the crunch, keep the airport free from rodents, in a completely natural and environmentally safe way. By investing a little money, the airport addresses a real problem and cares for animals in the process. One-time eradication of rats is both more expensive and far less effective. Or how about this one: when we save stray dogs, we can often rehabilitate the majority of them and turn them into useful guard dogs that protect the family that they live with. Or how about the old carabao that is saved from the butcher and given to a poor farmer who can still get good service from the animal in return for  a little food. In other words, animal care doesn’t need to cost much but can bring great benefits.

• Haven’t you got more useful things to do with your time?

Again, how I spend my time is not a yes/no question. I can actually do quite a few things with my time if I want. The argument implies that animal welfare proponents are useless parasites that laze around in the sun all day and do little that contributes positively to society. Well, animal welfare proponents are present in all facets of human society. I personally know of teachers, lawyers, bakers, entrepeneurs, artists, IT consultants, you name it! Apart from their regular jobs in which they already contribute considerably to society, they contribute more by doing voluntary work. This doesn’t distract at all from their usefulness. Quite the contrary, to them animal welfare work is very fulfilling and therefore worth doing. Considering that helping fellow creatures of this Earth is by definition a good way to spend time, there’s no way in hell that these people should be criticised for doing good, especially since most of them help other people too!

• Those active in animal welfare just have too much money and are still after our donations

Are all animal welfare proponents rich? Yes, they are, although it depends on your definition of rich. Irrespective of their financial status, these people are rich because they CARE, because they take a stand for fellow creatures. Of course, some of them are even rich in the monetary sense of the word. There’s nothing principally wrong with that. I know of many top ranking business managers that are rich beyond imagination. The only problem I have with that is that the vast majority of them do NOTHING for the rest of the world, much less defenseless animals. Go moan at them. For the record, I know many people that can be considered poor (in financial terms) and still devote some of their scarce resources, like their time and kind attention, to animals …

• To God, people are more important than animals

I’d hate to turn this into a religious argument so I will refrain from quoting the Bible (or any other “holy” book for that matter). But if I remember correctly, “man” was appointed to rule the animals, in modern day language: to manage them, by God. This is pretty much the same situation as when you are appointed to be the manager of a group of people. Does that mean you are free to abuse them, beat them up, steal their things, even if that gets you closer to your targets? Of course not: you will be a responsible steward, a guardian and a coach. And when it comes to the matter of importance: how effective will you, as a manager, be after all your people have left in disgust? Therefore, both manager and workers, if I may call them that, have their place and job, but they are all essential for reaching the common goal. And so it is with the way God appointed man as the guardian of nature: it is not a matter of whether God sees us to be more important, it is our responsible stewardship that matters. That is what God expects of us.

• They are only animals or Animals have no feelings

<sigh> Some people will never learn. They fail to see that we are biologically so close to the majority of animals (most notably mammals of course) that it is IMPOSSIBLE to overlook the probabilities that our “sentiments” that we think are so typical of us humans, are unique in the animal kingdom. Joy: ever come home to a wagging tail and that happy face of your dog? Sadness: ever tried to leave a puppy home alone while it was sitting near the door? Play: ever had the dog bring a ball to you? Hunger/thirst: no need to explain I would think. Shelter: leave a dog or cat in the pelting rain and see what it does different than what YOU would do. Pain: ever seen a dog with a broken leg run away as if nothing happened? Of course not: the poor thing was in excruciating pain and limped, just as YOU would! In other words, animals do have feelings and they are pretty much the same as ours, not surprisingly!

• You guys eat meat too, right?

Ahh tricky one! Well let me confess that I do eat meat myself. But, and this is a HUGE BUT, no animal should need to suffer for providing me with dinner. Most animal welfare proponents would probably agree with me when I say that I’m not so much against the EATING of meat, but I’m dead set against the suffering of countless “food animals” such as cattle, chickens, pigs etc. There is simply no need to make them suffer. Hence, I’m a great fan of controlled production of meat, hen-friendly eggs and the like. Goverments should enforce laws on this, rather then leaving the choice to (often ignorant) consumers. To conclude, if the meat were produced under humane and responsible conditions, personally I would find that a little more acceptable. I should become a vegetarian really!

So to all ye moaners: get out there, do your bit for this planet and help out. People, plants, animals, the environment. Anything!

In my previous post about our newly adopted friend, Jackie our Jack Russell Terrier, I hinted at a possible scenario that might have happened to him and his former family: that they were too busy with other things and there was simply no more room for the little guy. This reminded me of a VERY MOVING story that I read on a Dutch Border Collie web site. The author is unknown, but he or she is most definitely a person who understands these sort of situations. I translated the story myself so please excuse any misinterpretation or omissions, but I think you will get the message anyway. [see update below]

Better go get some hankies right now, just in case …

How could you?

When I was a puppy, I amused you with my funny games and I used to make you laugh. You called me “your baby” and despite shoes getting chewed on beyond recognition and the odd murder of a pillowcase, I became your best friend. When I was naughty you shook your finger at me and said “How could you?”, but then you gave in to my charms and rolled me on my back to scratch my belly. My pottytraining took a little longer than expected because you were very busy, but we both worked on it so hard. I remember nudging up to you with my nose at night and that I used to listen to your best kept secrets and wildest dreams and I simply couldn’t imagine a better life. We took long walks and ran through the park, took rides in your car and stopped along the way for an ice cream (I only got the biscuit because icecream is bad for dogs you used to say) and I took long naps behind the window in the sun and waited for you to come home at the end of a long day.

Gradually you spent more time on your work and your career and more time on finding a human partner. I waited for you patiently, comforted you when you were hurt or disappointed, never blamed you for making the wrong decision and joyfully jumped about the house when you returned home. And then you fell in love. She - now your wife - unfortunately was not what you might call a “dog-person”. Still, I welcomed her into our home, tried to give her affection and obeyed her. I was happy because you were.

Then the human babies arrived and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pink skin, their peculiar smell and wanted to mother them too. Only you and her were worried that I would hurt them and too often I was banished to another room, or even the bench. Ohh I longed to love them so much but instead became a prisoner of love.

As they grew up, I became their friend. They hung on to my fur as they pulled themselves up onto their tiny wobbly legs, they stuck fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears and kissed me on the nose. I loved them and I loved their touch - as yours were now so seldom - and I would have gladly sacrificed my life for them if the need ever would have arisen. I secretly hid in their beds and listened to their worries and dreams as we awaited the sound of your car on the driveway.

There was a time that, when others asked if you had a dog, you would proudly pull a photo of me from your wallet and told fascinating stories about me. Later on, you anwered simply “Yes” and changed the subject. I became “just” a dog instead of “your” dog and every penny spent on me was one too many.

Now you have a career-opportunity in another town and you and your family will move to an appartment where dogs are not allowed. You made the right decision for your family, but once there was a time when I was the only family you had. I was happy and excited about that car trip we took, until we stopped at the animal shelter. The smell was of dogs and cats, and of fear and hopeless longing for companionship. As you filled out the forms you said that you were sure that they would find me a loving home. They shrugged their shoulders and looked you in the eye. They already knew the hard truth that befalls a middle aged dog, even one with papers.

You had to tear the tiny fingers of your son from my collar while he screamed “Daddy, NO! Don’t let them take my dog!”. And I was very worried for him and about everything you were teaching him about friendship, loyalty, love and responsibility and about respect for all living creatures. As a farewall you patted me on the head one more time as you avoided my empty glare. You refused politely to take my collar and leash home as you had to meet a deadline … so did I now.

After you left, the two friendly ladies commented that you had known for months about the move and that you had done nothing to find me a good home. They shook their heads in disbelief and said “How could you?”.

Here at the shelter they give us all the care and attention they possibly can. They feed us, of course, but I haven’t been hungry for days now. At first I’d run to the gate as fast as I could, hoping it was you, that you had changed your mind. Perhaps this was just an horrific dream. Or I hoped that some compassionate soul would come to rescue me. When I finally realised that I simply couldn’t compete with those pretty puppies that were clowning around for attention but had no idea what fate was awaiting them, I retreated to the back of my cage and waited for what was to come.

I could hear her footsteps as she came to collect me at the end of the day and I quietly walked back with her to a seperate room. A strangely quiet room. She put me on the table and rubbed my ears, saying that I needn’t worry. My heart was pounding in anticipation but I also felt a certain relief. The prisoner of love had reached the end of her days. Because it is my nature, I felt sorry for the lady. I could sense her burden was heavy, just like I always used to sense the same in you. Gently she placed a rope around my front paw as a tear was rolling down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way as I had always done with you when you needed comforting, all those years ago. With great skill she put the needle in my vein. When I felt the sting and the cool liquid spreading through my body, I lay down sleepy, looked her in the eye and whispered “How could you?”.

Perhaps she understood my dog-language because she said “I am so, oh so sorry”.  She held me close and explained quietly that it was her job to make sure I would go to a far better world, where I would never be ignored, abused or left behind again. A place of light and love, so very different from this earthly existence. With the last bit of energy I had left I tried to tell her with a last wag of my tail that my “How could you?” was not directed at her. I was thinking of YOU, my sweet master. I will always think of you and wait for you alone. May everyone in your life reward you with the same loyalty …..

Original web site author’s note:

If there were tears in your eyes when reading “How could you?”, just like with me as I wrote it, it is because this story is a compilation of stories of millions of animals that are dying in shelters all over the world.

Everone is allowed to spread this story for non-commercial puposes.

Please use it to educate people, on web sites, in newsletters and on notice boards everywhere. Tell people that taking a pet into your home is an important decision, that animals deserve our love and care, that - if necessary - finding another good home for your animal is your own responsibility and that every shelter or animal welfare organisation can help and advise you, and that ALL life matters. Please do your utmost to avoid animals being killed because they are “not wanted”.

Update: I noticed that elsewhere on the Border Collie site that the story is attributed to Jim Willis who wrote it in 1999. See his site for the original version …

This will NEVER happen to our Tessa or Jackie!

Ok, I admit: guilty as charged! We simply couldn’t resist the sweet look on this little guy’s face. But being rational sort of people, there had to be some good reasons to adopt a second dog. So we started thinking. Company for the aging Tessa so that she would be stimulated a little. The chance to practise my recently acquired dog training skills. Give another somewhat older animal a good home. Well, these seemed like pretty convincing reasons at the time. Then came the doubts. But what about our 5 cats? Would they accept the newcomer? Max, the tomcat that was found wandering around the horse riding club that I frequent, is not exactly known for his kindness towards canines. His attitude became apparent when he scratched poor old Tessa over the eye and we had to treat her eye for weeks with a special ointment. Thank God that all turned out well. And how about our trips to the Philippines? It’s a doddle to find a good spot for our ever good and easy Tessa, but how about the new guy. Anyway, after having walked him a few times, tested him with a cat in the shelter where he was staying at the time, and test-driving him for a day in our home (where he didn’t chase the cats!), the decision was made. So here he is, Jackie!! He’s a Jack Russell Terrier that will turn 9 this August. How do I know his age? read on!

Jackie, our latest adoptee

As nearly always, there’s more to the story. In the shelter (that shall remain nameless) they had told me that although he was chipped, they couldn’t trace his owner because the phone number listed to his chip was never answered or didn’t even work. Hence, after two weeks in the shelter, he formally became their “property” (I hate that concept) and thus available for adoption. So, after taking the little chap home, I wanted te re-register the chip to my name. Here in the Netherlands, there are a number of databases of these chips but fortunately there’s one web site that unites them all. I tapped in Jackie’s number (we were still calling him “Neo” at that time by the way) on the web site’s form and hey presto, a couple of mobile phone numbers AND the name “Jackie” popped up on the screen. “Hmmm, two numbers”, I thought, well it probably wouldn’t hurt to just try them, what the heck!

The first number was already BINGO! Here’s the conversation:

Me: “Hi there, this is Michel. I’m a volunteer for an animal shelter. I have here on the couch right next to me a Jack Russell Terrier …”
Lady: “That must be Jackie!”
Me: “Jackie. [as I said that name, Jackie's head turned towards me immediately, so I knew right away that was his real name] Yes, that’s the name the chip is registered with. So why didn’t you pick him up from the shelter or tried to find him some other way. He was there for 2 full weeks!”
Lady: “Well, he’s run away from home so many times, we decided that if he wanted to go, he should go. And he’s always come back so far.”
Me (astonished): “But, but, have you any idea where they found him?”
Lady: “Nope”
Me: “He was wandering around in a Metro train all by himself!!!”
Lady: “That’s not all that surprising really. One day we had to pick him up all the way from Schiedam.” (some 15km away from where she said she lives).
Me: “Well ok, but he’s officially mine now, so what do you want to do?”
Lady: “Well errrr, to be quite honest we had already started to say our goodbye and with two small children I guess he didn’t get all the attention that he needs here.”
Me: “I can imagine that is why he kept running off. He was probably in search of a bit of entertainment.”
Lady: “Yes, well we do miss him of course. We had him since he was a puppy. But you might as well keep him then, he seems better off with you” …

After that we chatted a bit more about his age, habits etc. and then I politely terminated the conversation. Imagine that eh! Looking after such a nice little fellow for 9 (!!!) years since he was a puppy and then simply lose interest … How often do you think this sort of stuff happens? I can picture the scenario right now. A guy gets a dog because he feels lonely. Then he meets a nice young lady and they get married. Too young still to have kids they wait for a few years, but as soon as kids (almost inevitably) arrive, there’s no more room for their little pal. How sad!!!

Admittedly, the shelter should have done their homework a bit better. If I can find a phone number that works first time, so should they. Having said that, perhaps the rightful owners would have picked him up and he would have felt compelled to run off again after a while. Perhaps he would have ended up in a far worse situation in that case, who knows?

Fortunately, Jackie has found a nice new home now. He’s turned out to be very playful for his age and he’s an incredibly cheerful animal. So far, he’s learned to respect the cats, ESPECIALLY Max and he’s been friendly towards Tessa who indeed has livened up. Welcome home Jackie!

Neressa, Tessa and Jackie on the beach

Dogs LOVE running! They run all their lives almost from the moment they’re born. To them it’s second nature and a great way to exercise and have some fun all at once. And they’re no strangers to that competitive feeling either. So why would we want to stop greyhounds doing what they do best and what they seem to enjoy?

Here’s why:

Discarded after a tough life and faithful service

Yes, you saw that right: these are discarded greyhounds! They might have broken a limb or simply became too old, so their loving owner decided to dispose of them. And these might even be considered the lucky ones since they appear to have suffered a relative quick death. Most of them aren’t that lucky. They are kicked out on the streets where starvation and disease awaits them, thrown from moving cars or simply tortured to death.

Why? The answer is surprisingly simple: GREED!!!

I am not at all opposed to dogs having a bit of a run. After all they were born to hunt on sight and give chase after prey and as I said before, they love it. I’m opposed to the greyhound racing INDUSTRY since I know for a fact that they refuse to look after their dogs as soon as they stop being a good investment. Here are a few considerations:

One in how many greyhound puppies will turn into a real “winner”? One in, say, 500 perhaps? What do you think will happen to the 499 others? Adoption? Not likely! That’s way too much work for a busy greyhound racing owner. The greyhound racing industry in e.g. Australia produces well over 25,000 puppies each year.

A greyhound’s racing career lasts no more than 2 to 3 years, so that an astounding number of perfectly healthy, but “economically useless” dogs must be disposed of every year.

The “winners” are not to be envied either mind you! They never have a moment’s peace, they’re kept in small cages and are never allowed to walk free. After all, the “investment” must be protected at all cost. Inevitably, the moment comes that these former winners will be disposed of too after a tough life on and off the racing track.

Are you getting the picture yet? The greed that drives both owners and gamblers is a brutal killer. People without remorse aiming to make a quick buck over the backs of these loving creatures is what makes greyhound racing so inhumane. As long as the industry cannot guarantee 100% that the dogs will be treated properly, we shouldn’t allow it!

Are these happy dogs?

Personally, I thinks it’s incredibly sad that we, as the human race, are unable to get a grip on the shady side of humanity to prevent them from hurting another, exceedingly loving, species for the love of money, simple greed. Oh man, I truly resent that. We all have to make a living, but this is simply unacceptable.

In the Philippines, there’s been a lot of debate lately whether or not to allow greyhound racing. The Philippine Star has featured an article on the matter which includes the letters of two animal welfare organisations to the Philippines’ Senate. You can read the article here. PETA, PAWS, AWC and many more animal welfare groups are staging protests. We can only hope the politicians will take notice and not give in to the gambling industry. It is very obvious that there’s already enough animal suffering there (cock fighting, diminishing forests available to wildlife, just to name a few) so we most certainly don’t want any more of it.

Fortunately, more and more people are beginning to realise that the criminals running this pitiful, inhumane show must be stopped. In 6 U.S. states and in South Africa, grayhound racing is already banned. In Australia, this informative web site shows exactly what goes on in the industry and what extremely loveable creatures greyhounds really are. The RSPCA (U.K.) relased a full report in PDF format. It deals with the fate that awaits greyhounds, whippets, spanish galgos, cross-breeds and many more in Wales and around the U.K. Go check out these links please.

This is how it should be!

Come on folks, let’s make sure these villains get what they deserve instead of getting rich!!!