Date: Wed, 22 Aug 2007 10:37:02 .0400
From: “Jeannette Beranger”
Subject: RE: lost and found pets
In response to the lost and found animals posting, I am a bit disappointed that someone would automatically think just because an animal gets lost, that it is not loved or taken care of. Having worked with animals of all kinds for over twenty years and having my own pets for over twice that time, I can say accidents happen whether we want them to or not. You can never completely prepare for the unexpected with animals and be sure, the unexpected will happen. I myself had a pet dog (who was old, deaf, and blind) get lost for several hours one day through a mishap of my husband (who by the way thought I would divorce him for loosing my beloved pet). The dog was loved, well cared for, and continued to lead a long and comfortable life after we recovered her later that day thanks to a thoughtful Samaritan.
Taking care of animals is a balance of doing what we think is good for them and what the animals need. We must take into consideration the natural needs of the animals which can be overlooked by well meaning owners seeking to protect their animals. Dogs need to have access to the outdoors. They need space to run, fresh air and sunshine in order to thrive. They need companionship and social structure for their psychological well being and find their place in a household or understand their role and job on the farm. In reality it is a dynamic system that a pet lives in and one that has its inherent dangers despite all of the precautions we take to keep them safe. Even if a dog has the best fenced in yard in the world, what is to keep a copperhead snake from coming in? (oops, there’s the unexpected). Do we then confine them to the house all day to prove we want what’s best for them? What if your child then opens a door and the dog runs out by accident?
Did we still not do right by the dog? Do we separate the child from the dog so it doesn’t happen again?
The relationships between owners and their pets are vastly different between households and what is good for one animal may not be appropriate for another. I would like to think most people do right by their animals but of course I am not blind to the fact that there are bad pet owners out there.
What we all need to keep in mind (city dwellers, suburbanites, farmers, bunny huggers, etc.) is that one person, organization, or even government’s interpretation of what is right by the animals is not necessarily the only one or the right one. If that were the case then all of our farm animals would be raised inside large buildings and on concrete floors to “protect” them from disease. Are my chickens not cared for properly because they are outside in the fresh air foraging for bugs all day?
To make the statement that an animal is not well cared for based on one person’s interpretation of a situation is unfair and certainly unjustifiable.
For all of you that have the misfortune to lose a pet, keep posting their information. Don’t be embarrassed or think it makes you a bad pet owner that they are lost. No one looses a pet on purpose. Be sure that I (and I suspect many others) will keep looking for your pets and that we will do so in the hope that if anything similar happens to our pets, you would do the same for us.
Jeannette