Puppy shouldn’t be treated as trash
As some of you may know by now, I was the recipient of someone’s animal abuse victim. Specifically, my husband and I found a puppy tied by a rather large chain to a pole behind a local business in front of the trash cans. The puppy was extremely pitiful.
The chain was so large on the very young puppy that it could hardly walk around. The chain was also being used for a collar around the puppy’s neck.
After noticing a wobble, I knew that something was wrong with its back leg. Upon inspection, I thought it was a hip problem. We took it to a vet that morning. The vet confirmed a broken back leg in the area the leg bone connects to the hip area. It was a complete break that required surgery.
I suspected the back leg problem is why the dog was dropped off. I also suspect the chain was the abuser’s way of making sure no more harm came to the puppy, such as getting out into the road.
The more I thought about it, the madder I got. They were responsible for the puppy’s broken leg and instead of taking responsibility, they abandoned it.
I understand that spending the money it requires to take a dog to the vet is something some people would rather do without. If you can’t afford a vet visit if something were to happen, then don’t get the animal.
If the animal is taken home despite resources to handle an emergency, then do what is necessary when the time comes. If that means taking your lunch to work, skipping soft drinks for a while, buying off-brand food, avoiding going out to dinner, asking friends and family for help, canceling that trip to the movies, or stopping smoking, then do it.
I have two children. Their care takes up the majority of my money. School is about to start and there are clothes and supplies to buy and haircuts to pay for. In with the ‘mom I need supplies’ is a $120 graphing calculator. In with all that are the end-of-summer things the kids want to do.
I understand money can be tight. Sometimes between gas, groceries, electricity, water, car and insurance payments I don’t feel there is much left.
But animals are like children because they can’t care for themselves. I would never dump one of my children because their medical care might be more than I’m prepared to pay at that time. The only right thing to do would be to buckle down and cut off any unnecessary spending past the point where it hurts.
The people who owned this dog decided not to do the right thing. Instead they dumped the puppy like trash and left it to fate. We, on the other hand, weren’t as mean. We did what was necessary to get this puppy the help it needed.
As a family we decided to ask friends and family for whatever they might could help with and we received $1 to $10 from different people. To make up the difference we gave up all those little luxuries some people think they can’t live without.
My husband and I car-pooled to work as much as possible to cut back on gas, we skipped our occasional dinner out, we carried our lunch and the kids were told no more than once regarding things they wanted and reminded why.
The vet we took the puppy to was very nice and discounted the surgery as much as possible as well as a free follow-up visit to remove the stitches.
Although she will never be 100 percent, she will have a life as free of pain as possible. We have decided to name her Baby because continuing to call her the abandoned puppy just seemed wrong.
Currently, we aren’t sure what we will do with the 10-pound bundle of energy but loving homes will be considered.
Lisa Hobbs is a reporter for the Standard who can be reached at 473-2191.