Originally posted by: rongna
come on guys!!! there is a different between stray dogs and pet dogs.
Nope, there is no difference. A dog is always a dog. Just like a human is always a human, whether with a family or homeless.
Originally posted by: rongna
[hey rth are you saying this out of joke, sarcasm or you truly think that it is better to kill human beings rather than strayed dogs???
Dead Pan serious. Ideally neither should be killed. I view all of creation with equity. The best solution is no kill shelters and adoption.
To clarify I am not against euthanasia on animals. If a dog is rabid or possesses similar communicable disease, that dog is a threat to humans as well as other animals and must be humanely put to sleep. Similarly, a dog that is badly injured, suffering fatal infections etc it is more humane to euthanize them.
When we lived in Bombay we would look after stray dogs. We adopted an abandoned puppy, 'Socks' my first dog. We also sterlized and several strays at our own expense. One of them 'Chibud' was almost like our dog, he would sleep out our door, and his wife 'Brownie'. There was an abused Alsatian mix 'Rani' left behind by neglectful owners when they moved. She was so aggressive and bit people, that everyone in the building wanted to call the govt and have her killed. My dad would not let them. I was barely twelve or thirteen then, within months we had her tamed that all the children were now running around her, playing fetch with a tennis ball. She became so gentle that she was everyone's favorite. Rani had a couple of litters, when we realized that the owners had not fixed her. We sterlized her and three of her pups. Rocky, Ruby and Sheila. Most pups did not survive. When they were injured or sick we would put them in a rickshaw and take them to a vet. I am a squirmy, terrified, insectophobe, but when Sheila had an injury which got maggots, I learned from the vet to dress the wound, watch for maggots and remove them if they came back.
Initially a lot of building people were not too pleased with our families dog loving. However, over time they came to learn how the dogs were the best protection their children had and the best deterrent for thieves. When Chibud, Brownie, Rani and the pups were settled in the building, we never had any thefts when cycle theft, minor break ins were prevalent. We had a hotel in our building that fed the dog left over scraps, every night. But they got special treats too. One person would buy a Cadbury's bar every evening and give to Chibud. One old man would walk eating glucose building and feeding the dogs. One family served fish curry to the dogs once a week, and one of the families owned a restaurant elsewhere and would get biryani ordered for the dogs once in a while. If a community comes together and shares the costs they can sustain the strays and benefit from it. Someone just has to take the initiative. LOL! Our Indian complex people alway complain now that we are in USA ki 'ab kutton ko sambhalne ke liye koyi nahin hain. aur jab bhi watchmen rakhte hain to chori hoti hain'.
Our current dog also was adopted from the local humane society. We got an adopted pup who was abandoned in the middle of winter and suffered from nervous anxiety and fear aggression. She is on Prozac. 😆 The first few months were very difficult. She would snap and lash, when we went to put on the leash, go near her food and drink, try to move her from where she was sitting. Ordinarily, most people would have returned the dog bag to the shelter and it would have been put down eventually. We stuck through it and now we have a Prozac dog, but a very gentle and lovable beast. She is still a big slobbery hound with a piercing howl. Ah the hound, one of the first domesticated dogs, still very much of the wild wolf left in them. Gotta love em.
Of course I'm rambling. Pets are not everyone's cup of tea, and from my life in India - everyone hates stray dogs and thinks they are a menace. But I am on a mission to bring some love back for the very first animal domesticated by man. Man's best friend. We have got to the neighbors boys. Indian family, mom and dad afraid of dogs. Little boys once in a while muster courage to come touch Aria, stroke her and then run away. I'm sure once they are older they will ask for their own pup. Another Indian family has a ten year old girl who is not into dogs, but fascinated by our three cats. I think she is asking her parents for kitties.
I've always grown up with pets. Its just how I was raised. Usually, I am not religious or superstitious, but by grandparents and dad are devotees of Dattatray. Grandma says that there are four dogs and a cow with Dattatraya all the time. In her gaon her dad and other people they knew would first feed their cows and then dog before sitting down to eat themselves. According to her one must first pay respect to animals that we depend on. She says Yudhishtira even refused heaven for a loyal dog. I'm an incorrigible diabolical blaspheming heathen, as most must have noticed. The only lesson that stuck with me is never turn my back on a dog.
Anupamaa
