There have been two high profile dog deaths in my local area. In both cases, the tragedy of the deaths need not have happened at all. Instead of just seeing the horror of it all, the need for proactive education and outreach needs to be brought into clear focus.
The first was an elderly ill dog whose owners took it upon themselves to put her out of her misery. They lacked the monetary means to do so humanely. The lacked the knowledge that there is a local nonprofit that will do these procedures at no cost, if required. They tried to kill the dog with a hammer.
I hear the sounds of shock and disgust. I echo them with you.
Yes, it is horrific what this dog went through - being rescued from her grave by digging her way partially out and then local authorities being alerted by a neighbor, only to be euthanized latter because of her condition. Not all the facts are known about the situation. It is possible that she was a dying beloved family dog and the owners did what they felt they needed to do. The autopsy showed signs of a serious skin condition and malnourishment (not eating for several days) but that does not mean abuse, or even neglect, it could be an old dog dying. There were photographs of this dog with her family; they looked loving and warm.
I do not mean to imply in any way that in any event these people did what was right; no animal should suffer that way! I do think that it is important to understand that they did not feel there was anything else that they could do. That is a breakdown in the animal welfare education system.
While working on an emergency veterinary helpline I would get a number of calls every week from desperate people looking for a kind way to end their pets suffering and not finding any inexpensive way to offer that end of life gift. Those that found their way to us were given the information they needed in a compassionate way.
A yellow Labrador named Molly had to be euthanized Friday after she was struck in the head with a hammer and buried alive.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/index.ssf/2008/10/dog_buried_alive_euthanized.html
The owners told KGW the dog was a beloved family pet that had been sick for weeks and they couldn't stand to see it continue to suffer. They said they did not have a gun or the money to put the dog down, so they decided to euthanize the animal by hitting it in the head with a hammer.
http://www.king5.com/localnews/stories/NW_102508ORB_dog_buried_alive_SW.149ae57cf.html?ocp=1
The other death was that of a service dog killed by another dog on local transit. The owner of the dog that attacked and killed the other dog lied when he boarded the bus and was asked if his dog was a service dog. When questioned by the police, he admitted this.
This opens up the volatile issues of what training/registration/certification/identification service animals ought to have. The laws related to this currently need clarity but I am far from convinced that the suggested changes to the laws are positive. There are so many people who can live fuller lives with the assistance of properly trained service animals. There are far too few organizations able to help these teams get trained.
Kae Seth wasn't surprised to read that bus passenger Leroy Morley passed off his pet Rottweiler mix, Max, as a service dog. The president of Guide Dog Users of Oregon says she increasingly encounters "people who try to stretch the letter of the law" to get their pets into buses and businesses.
http://www.oregonlive.com/health/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1225250718320060.xml&coll=7
Leroy Morley "feels awful" that his dog killed another dog on a TriMet bus Sunday, said a man Tuesday claiming to be Morley's boss.
http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/news/1225250715320060.xml&coll=7
*sorry about the issues with the links. Blogger is insisting that any of my Word copy/pasted posts are full of html so I am giving Notepad a try...
