tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12452759.post111632176747374670..comments2024-03-22T07:12:47.560-07:00Comments on Pitchpull: DogcatcherGreybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11919862790973521778noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12452759.post-1116849544271475782005-05-23T04:59:00.000-07:002005-05-23T04:59:00.000-07:00Hey GB:The smaller than expected numbers for NY co...Hey GB:<BR/>The smaller than expected numbers for NY could be because of larger numbers of Koreans and Chinese. Those folks certainly know how to control dog and cat populations!<BR/>Heh!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12452759.post-1116801109158099872005-05-22T15:31:00.000-07:002005-05-22T15:31:00.000-07:00I understand your views on animal owners. This cam...I understand your views on animal owners. This came to light just the other day.<BR/><BR/>My neighbor, who seems to go through dogs at an alarming rate, has had the same two dogs for more than a year. (Almost a record.) We'd become rather fond of one of the dogs after the dog was hit by a car (he was a car chaser) and we took him to the vet. (The neighbor seemed to think that my husband had hit him and he may have, but my neighbor didn't plan to take him to the vet at all and someone had to do it.) The surgery required to repair his leg would have cost us $2,800 -- a sum we'd spend on our own dog (knowing we'd have him for at least 10 more loving years) but too high to spend on yet another of my neighbor's fly-by-night dogs. The vet said that it could heal on its own or, if it got infected, it might need amputatation. We were prepared to cover the cost of that, if it needed to be done. We got medicine for the dog and brought him back to our neighbor's house. The swelling went down and the dog eventually was able to walk on his bad leg. In fact, he got fast enough to catch and eat birds, even though he never walked or ran quite right again.<BR/><BR/>Sounds like a happy ending, right? Well, there's more. <BR/><BR/>About 6 months went by. We were away and when we came back, we noticed that our neighbors only had one dog -- the one with four good legs. My husband asked what had happened to Bo. Our neighbor explained that one of his kids had been playing with the dog's food dish while he was eating and the dog had snapped at the kid. He'd taken the dog "to the farm."<BR/><BR/>We didn't ask what that meant. But I found out a few days later.<BR/><BR/>I was at the vet, picking my dog up from an overnight stay, and I saw a flyer with a color photo of a dog on it. FOUND was the title of the flyer. The photo sure looked like Bo.<BR/><BR/>I called the phone number and asked the woman who answered if the dog had a bad back leg. Sure enough, it was Bo. It appears that my neighbor's idea of "the farm" was a stretch of empty desert about 5 miles from his house, all the way on the other side of town. This is where the woman had found poor Bo, half starved and frightened. In the week she'd had him, she'd grown to love him and had decided to keep him. I told her all about Bo and thanked her for taking him.<BR/><BR/>I haven't spoken to my neighbor yet, but I will. I have the flyer to show him the evidence of his deed.<BR/><BR/>But do you want to know the worst part of this story? This neighbor prides himself on being a good "Christian," God-fearing and Jesus-loving.<BR/><BR/>Frankly, it makes me sick.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12452759.post-1116736652292921312005-05-21T21:37:00.000-07:002005-05-21T21:37:00.000-07:00Actually, as I indicate in the post, this was a re...Actually, as I indicate in the post, this was a relatively rural, small county. I suspect we would both be shocked to hear the numbers from a city like New York or Chicago!<BR/>The information may be available online.....if I can find it, I'll update the post.Greybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11919862790973521778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12452759.post-1116703285799942222005-05-21T12:21:00.000-07:002005-05-21T12:21:00.000-07:00I could never have brought myself to do the job th...I could never have brought myself to do the job that you did. 2,000 dogs and cats in one year? That must have been a mssively active region. I care about dogs very much but am allergic to cats -- but I still would find it extremely difficult to kill one deliberately. I remember a day I had to kill a squirrel and I still think about him every once in a while.<BR/><BR/>:(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-12452759.post-1116692094092054742005-05-21T09:14:00.000-07:002005-05-21T09:14:00.000-07:00You are absolutely correct about the benefits of n...You are absolutely correct about the benefits of neutering and spaying. What a lot of people don't realize is that there are health and behavioral benefits for their pets too - not just the prevention of unwanted litters adding more animals to the pet population when there are already so many older pets being given up to shelters and rescue groups. There's some more information about the benefits of spay/neuter and a nationwide educational effort at http://www.americanpartnershipforpets.org<BR/><BR/>Thanks for promoting responsible pet care!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com