At the grocery store, I see a child running down the aisles, occasionally flinging himself to the ground in a sliding belly flop. His mother is watching him and trying to keep him under control but looks exhausted as she tries to add groceries to the cart at the same time. The little boy bounces off of us and grins while shrugging off our question “Are you ok?”
A few minutes later, I hear a woman ranting “You need to keep an eye on your child!!” “He just fell down and could have gotten hurt!” while continuing to complain about irresponsible parents on her cell phone. Her tirade is stopped when we quietly point out that the little boy is actually playing and the mother looks exhausted, and she goes on to complain in her continuing cell conversation about people “giving her shit”
What does this have to do with pet legislation? Everything. Much animal legislation is based upon parachuting in and first impressions, upon dislike of the owner instead of love for the animal, upon punishment instead of partnership.
In these challenging times, we need more love, more partnership and less dislike and less adversary. This is not a Pollyanna view but is very practical. It costs money to seize animals, conduct investigations, house/feed/medically care for seized animals and to pursue court cases. In fact, it costs alot of money paying for housing, food, water, animal control officers, veterinarians, lawyers, police officers, vehicles and more!
By working with animal owners and lending a helping hand, much of the cost of enforcing pet legislation could be reduced.
- Horse owner’s field shelter(s) not up to requirement? Is it more economical to seize/house/feed the horses or to assist in fixing the shelter(s)? I’ve owned horses and I can tell you that ther 2nd answer is the right one.
- A small percentage of animals appear underweight? Work with owner to find out why. If owner is actively pursuing the matter in conjunction with a vet or there is a valid medical reason why, there is no neglect. Perhaps offer a discount-priced appointment with the shelter vet as a second opinion. Still less cost than seizing/housing/feeding and beginning the medical investigation from scratch.
- Region appears to have problems with dogs having behavior problems? Offer low-cost/free seminars or training classes to assist in public education.
- Problems with dogs not properly cared for due to owner having health problems? Coordinate a volunteer-based dog-walking or care service that can be called on by people with health difficulties. Shelters and rescues already have a volunteer base anyway.
These are tough times and no one, individual or government, can afford to spend money in large amounts when smaller amounts will serve as well. Of course, these methods don’t result in media events. There are no heros, except to the animals who do not get uprooted from everything they have known. But that’s the point, isn’t it? If it’s all about the animals, shouldn’t the human animal be included too?
Copyright 2009 by Erica Saunders
All rights reserved
