Beware of Animal Lovers

Warning: I feel another rant coming on!

When did "Animal Lover" become synonymous with "Stupid Idiot"? I can't count the number of times I've dealt with asinine situations only to have an indignant person tell me "I'm an animal lover!" Like that makes difference. Here are a few examples:

• A guy found a very skinny, sick cat on his doorstep. He offered it food but the cat wouldn't eat. So what did Guy do? He opened the cat's mouth and tried to shove food down it's throat. Not surprisingly, the cat bit him. Then Guy panicked -- "What if it has rabies?" -- and called Animal Control. We impounded the cat and it died during quarantine. So we had to decapitate it and send it's head to the lab (this is the only definitive way to tell if something is rabid). When asked why he stuck his finger in the mouth of a stray cat, Guy responded "Because I'm an animal lover." P.S. The cat didn't have rabies. And if Guy had called me first, I would have taken the cat to the vet. It probably would have been euthanized, but at least it wouldn't have had to die alone in quarantine two days later.
• I have several hoarders in my tiny town. They each have at least 20 regular cats that they feed, plus a dozen or more that just come by for a free meal. Hoarders' houses smell like dirty litter boxes. The stench from the door will knock you back; I don't know how people actually live inside. I try to help Hoarders by removing sick animals, getting adult cats fixed and finding homes for kittens. Yet every time we get things down to a manageable amount, Hoarders suddenly get more cats. It's frustrating. These people know it's unhealthy. They know the neighbors are fed up. But they just won't can't stop. Why? Because they're "animal lovers." And they're crazy. Really. They're crazy.
• I got called to a strip mall. There was an English bulldog locked inside a car. The car was in full sun and all the windows were rolled up tight. The complainant said that the dog been there for at least 20 minutes. I could see the dog panting heavily, his tongue was bright red, and he was frothing at the mouth. My infrared thermometer said that the inside of the car averaged 102 degrees and was rising. I was trying to get a police officer to come out to break a window when the owner strolled up. (Mind you, I had been there for 10 minutes; the dog had been in that hot car for at least half an hour.) I had Owner pull the dog out and gave it some water. Then I wrote Owner a ticket for cruelty. She couldn't believe it because she "loves" her dog and "would never do anything to hurt him." Want to know the reason all the windows were up? She paid $3000 for the dog and was afraid someone would steal it. Because that's worse than dying from heat stoke.
• Here's a personal example: I was at a dog show. A friend of another club member asked if she could pet Jedi. I said sure. (He was relaxed and had been touched by a hundred different people all weekend.) But instead of reaching out and scratching his chest or shoulder, Friend decided to grab Jedi by the muzzle, lean over him and stick her face in his face. Before I could say "What the hell are you doing?" Jedi barked and lunged, muzzle punching her in the mouth. (I'm sure he felt trapped, but I wish he would have just growled.) Jedi didn't break the skin, but he did leave a big bruise and gave her a fat lip. I corrected my dog and asked Friend if she was okay. She said yes, and told me she was "an animal lover." (I didn't see how those statements were connected, but was too upset to say "What?") Then Friend proceeded to tell me that her cat had jumped on her shoulder and peed down her back that morning. I guess he didn't realize she was an animal lover.
• People who claim to "love" their animals surrender them to me all the time because they can't -- or won't -- pay for necessary vet care. Or a pet deposit. Or flea/heartworm treatment. Or food. Seriously.

I'm here to say that "love" is not enough. Love is not a substitute for responsibility or common sense. I literally cringe when someone tells me they're "an animal lover." Please, if you're truly an animal lover, SHOW me, don't tell me.

* And on a side note: I'm going to choke the next person who looks me in the face and says "I could never do your job because I'm an animal lover." Are they implying that I'm not?

 

Okay, my rant is over. You may now return to your regularly scheduled program. -- K

Sleepia Saturday

Jedi loves his crate!

I have never had a dog that was so content to be in a crate. We have two, an extra large wire crate and a smaller plastic airline crate. Jedi prefers the smaller one (probably a size too small for him). We leave it open most of the day. He'll climb in and out on his own, often taking short naps. He'll also run to his crate when he feels uncomfortable (strangers in the house), when he's trying to hide (ear cleaning time) or whenever he sees me put on my shoes (he still doesn't like car rides). When I say "Get in your box" he runs to it with enthusiasm. It sure has made life easier, especially when travelling to dog shows. I wish I know what we did! How about you? Do you use a crate? How's it going for you? -- K

P.S. This is a blog hop. See what others have to say in sepia today.

A Fun Read

As I've mentioned before, I like to read. Most of my book choices are about dogs, dragons or dead people. So when I saw Dog On It by Spencer Quinn on the sale table at Books-a-Million I had to get it. This is the first in a mystery series about Chet and Bernie. The story is narrated by Chet -- the dog! -- as he follows his human, a private detective. It's actually quite funny. Like Jedi, Chet eats everything, marks often and is perplexed by certain human emotions. But his hypersensitive nose and keen observation of human behaviors help solve the case. It's a fun summer read and definitely worth the $5. -- K

P.S. I've already ordered the next book from Amazon.

WTF?!

Here's one for a Thoughtless Thursday. I was at Walmart the other day and saw this:

 

Why?! I don't understand the appeal. Maybe because I have two large dogs -- not to mention a kennel full of strays -- so I can get all the real poo I want. What do you think? Let me know. -- K

P.S. If you really must have this, you can get it on Amazon here.

 

This is a blog hop. Click below and see some more no-brainers.

 

Wordless Wednesday

  Jedi's Happy Place:

 

Jedi loves lounging in the yard. He'd be outside all day if I let him. (I don't because he likes to dig and bark at the neighbor's dog.) And Jedi LOVES chewing on bones. I've never known a dog to love bones as much as this guy. He usually only gets one when I need some uninterrupted time -- like blogging or watching Game of Thrones.

 

 

It's Wordless Wednesday! Hop around and see what others are up to today. -- K

 

 

Beat the Heat Fun

It's HOT here in Florida. Temperatures are in the 90s with high humidity. I'm miserable; I can't image how the dogs feel. For fun, Hubby and I bought 60 pounds of ice and filled up their kiddie pool. Wanna see their reactions?

At first Jedi wasn't so sure. Hubby tossed a few ice cubes to pique his interest.

 

 

We buried a few toys in the ice as well. He was curious.

 

 

 

He took a tentative step, and then . . .

 

 

 

he started digging. See all the ice he flung out?

 

 

 

He had a blast!

 

 

 

Roxy, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with it. This is as close as she got!

 

 

What are you doing to keep your dogs cool and entertained during the summer? Seriously, inquiring dogs want to know!

 

 

We've joined the Monday Mischief blog hop. Hop around and see what fun others are having today. -- K

 

 

 

Remember Me?

Wow, I just looked at my last post and realized that it's been over a month since I've been here. Sorry. Did you think I was dead? Let's catch up:


If I were a cat . . .

WORK: I lost another partner. He gave a whole two days notice. For those who are counting, that's three partners in three years. When are the powers that be going to realize that "something ain't right"? As soon as we get new animal control officers trained and certified they leave for a better job. I know what you're thinking: Why am I not leaving? I'd like to switch paths -- as in not be an ACO but possibly stay in a related field. It's harder than I thought. I have applications out there. (Tips and prayers are most welcome, by the way!) Anywho, my last partner left me with quite a mess including: a dangerous dog in the kennel with a drawn-out legal battle, a couple bite cases, animals in quarantine, and several unfinished pet projects from the Chief. Even on my days off I've been going in to feed animals, check messages, etc. Today is the first day I haven't had to go to work in a month. I'm exhausted.

HA! I should take more
lessons from my dogs!

PERSONAL: I've developed some health issues. I've had a dozen appointments with four different doctors since my birthday six weeks ago. I'm not going to bore you with the details -- this is a dog blog after all. The good news is that I'm not dying; the bad news is that I'm REALLY stressed out and it's affecting my health. [From my doctor: Wine, brownies and profanity are not the best way to solve problems. I respectfully disagree.] To make things worse, my old house and old car are in about as good a shape as my old body, so a large portion of my time and money has gone to repairs. (OK, and wine. And brownie mix.)

DOGS: The dogs are awesome. They keep me sane. Jedi and I have class on Monday nights out at K-9 Obedience Club. He's doing well. I'm trying to get him into a Canine Good Citizen class so he can earn his AKC CGC award. I'm nervous and excited. His chest hasn't filled out yet, so we're still on a hiatus from the show ring. There is no way my adolescent pup can compete with the big boys right now. Between me and you, I think we needed a break anyway.

CAT: Gucci's not looking so good. She's 17(ish). She's lost weight and is slowing down quickly. We think our time with her is coming to an end, so we're making the most of it while we can. She seems to enjoy the extra attention, not to mention the baked chicken and real tuna.

OK, enough about me. I'm bumming myself out. I'm going back to the dog-related stuff. And I'll try to post more often. Promise! -- K

P.S. Saw this and it made me laugh. Hope you snicker too.