Sunday, February 05, 2006

Passive Cruelty.

Owning pets can be great. They are affectionate, loyal, good for the blood pressure and easy company. Conversely they can be a pain in the arse: they can be needy, noisy, vets bills can scare you and you always need someone to mind them if you go anywhere.
I own some cats, three to be exact. They are all rescues, two of them are getting on a bit and one of them is only 3. The youngest one is skittish, but he likes yoghurt, dougnuts and beer. I think he is very funny, dumb as a box of rocks, but funny. He is a champion fly killer.
The biggest of the cats is a chatty sort of guy. He hangs off my desk every day when I work. He is there now. I can reach out and scratch the top of his head right this second. The oldest of them, well she's just an old slob and she sleeps a lot, I've had her nearly 14 years. She understands about fifteen different words and has a very distinct call for me, which I think is ferociously cute.
They are mine, I like them, even though they do nothing and use one of my sofas as a scratching post no matter how many times I throw the newspaper at them. I own them, ergo I am responsible for them, their health and their well being. That is fine, it was my choice when I took them on and I don't mind in the slightest. Except for ear-cleaning Friday, that I could do without.
The son of the couple across the road has a bulldog/staffy type of some kind. It is a young dog, strong, energetic, intelligent, no more than eighteen months old or so. I know this because I know when he got the dog. The son in eighteen/nineteen and in college all day long. The mother -naturally enough- does not want a big bouncy dog in her apartment during day.
So this dog lives 23.5 hours a day, seven days a week, on a terrace a bit bigger than my kitchen. I can see him when I hang washing out on my line. He looks over at me, wags his tail and peers hopefully over the ledge. Sometimes he barks in the evening when the parents are home, a slow monotonous sharp bark that continues for up to an hour at a time. It is not his fault, he is simply bored rigid.
Sometimes I think of what it must be like for him. He has maybe another 10 years of this life. 10 years of sitting day after day, staring at the four blank walls of the terrace, sniffing the air, watching out for the lady across the way to hang out her clothes and call a few nice words over the space.
It really breaks my heart.
What is the point? Why have that animal? The owner gets no pleasure from him, he spends every Saturday morning grumpily hosing and disinfecting down the terrace, (I dread to think what it is like during the week) He takes the dog out at night, half an hour, tops, no more that that. There is no other interaction so what enjoyment does he get from that poor dog?
Dogs are social creatures. They like company, they like to be with the family, they like snoring in front of a fire or lying under your feet where you work. They like going out and about during the day, they like a game of chase, they like chewing giant pieces of stick and playing games, they like it when you stick your foot out and rub their bellies with your foot when you are on the phone.
Buying a pup and putting him out on a terrace for endless years is a selfish and thoughtless act. The isolation creates a vicious, unsocial, poorly mannered, lonely dog.
It is the ultimate act of passive cruelty.

17 Comments:

Blogger fatmammycat said...

It would never work Mynah, it would have to be the size of a condor to survive the bigger of the cats. I've once saw him dispatch a magpie that was nearly as big as himself.

10:51 a.m.  
Blogger Andraste said...

That is the ultimate in cruelty and stupidity. Can you steal the dog and give it to a better owner? I'd try.

3:58 p.m.  
Blogger Kim Ayres said...

In case you didn't see it, you might enjoy Joke Mail's entry from a few days back about the difference between cats and dogs:

http://jokemail.blogspot.com/2006/01/pets-diary.html

4:32 p.m.  
Blogger Dr Maroon said...

So what are you going to do?

5:08 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

What can I do? I've spoken to DSPCC and they say as long as it has shelter-which it has, is well fed, and not in immediate harm, there is really nothing they or I can do about it. And short of my doing a Bond/Mission Impossible stunt across the great divide and a six story drop to a dog that would probably-despite his friendly demeanor- savage me the minute I set foot on the terrace, I'm pretty much stumped.
But it is maddening. I've spoken to her-the mother-about it before, you know all smiles, casually suggesting a terrace is no place for an animal that size, blah blah, but she claims it is her son's animal and it has nothing to do with her.

5:43 p.m.  
Blogger Gorilla Bananas said...

Talking bird, my arse. What you really need, Ms Cat, is a pet gorilla to help you with your stretching exercises. How high can you lift your foot?

5:58 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

Over my head Mr GB, over my head!

6:13 p.m.  
Blogger Gorilla Bananas said...

I'll be damned. That's probably high enough to rest your ankle on my shoulder.

7:34 p.m.  
Blogger Kim Ayres said...

Thanks for commenting over at my site. I did wonder why you suddenly commented on that one, then I saw Kim's link to it from here.

I am something of a link whore, so did you want to exchange links?

7:40 p.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

I'm nearly able to do the splits too, my kickboxing instructor is insisting I master it. Something to do with hip flexors, but golly, it is tough going.
Jokemail, that was terrifically funny and when I set up the links on the side I shall indeed include yours.

7:46 p.m.  
Blogger Monstee said...

Indeed a very sad situation.

At least lady across way calls a few nice words over space when she does hang out her clothes. And that may well be worth watching out for. Do what you can FMC, no matter how small.

What really gets to me about you story am that you know despite being ignored, despite being deprived of fulfilling life, despite being kept in living conditions worse than most criminals... you KNOW that dog am giving back unconditional love. Oh, what different world this would be if pets treated us the way we truly deserved sometimes.

9:28 a.m.  
Blogger fatmammycat said...

I know Monstee, I know. It is horrible how ignorant people are really.

10:14 a.m.  
Blogger oakleyses said...

kate spade outlet online, polo ralph lauren, burberry outlet online, ray ban sunglasses, ugg boots clearance, christian louboutin shoes, ray ban sunglasses, chanel handbags, michael kors outlet store, louis vuitton handbags, louis vuitton outlet, christian louboutin, louis vuitton outlet, polo ralph lauren outlet, michael kors handbags, longchamp handbags, ray ban outlet, prada outlet, michael kors outlet online, nike free, jordan shoes, cheap ugg boots, prada handbags, nike air max, oakley sunglasses, burberry outlet online, louis vuitton outlet online, tiffany jewelry, louis vuitton, michael kors outlet online, ugg outlet, nike outlet, cheap oakley sunglasses, longchamp outlet online, replica watches, nike air max, oakley sunglasses, gucci handbags, red bottom shoes, michael kors outlet online sale, ugg australia, cheap ugg boots outlet, longchamp outlet, tiffany and co, michael kors outlet, oakley vault, tory burch outlet online

1:36 a.m.  
Blogger oakleyses said...

guess pas cher, abercrombie and fitch, michael kors outlet online, coach outlet store online, new balance pas cher, true religion outlet, ray ban uk, nike air max, nike air max, hollister uk, louboutin, vans pas cher, hollister, ralph lauren uk, longchamp, ray ban pas cher, mulberry uk, nike roshe, nike roshe run, air jordan, true religion outlet, air max, nike free pas cher, oakley pas cher, north face pas cher, north face, scarpe hogan, tn pas cher, nike free, hermes pas cher, true religion, michael kors uk, lacoste pas cher, lululemon outlet online, kate spade outlet, longchamp pas cher, ralph lauren pas cher, timberland pas cher, true religion jeans, coach outlet, replica handbags, converse pas cher, michael kors, burberry pas cher, sac vanessa bruno, air max pas cher, nike air force, coach purses, michael kors canada, nike blazer pas cher

1:38 a.m.  
Blogger oakleyses said...

louis vuitton uk, thomas sabo uk, canada goose, toms outlet, barbour jackets, karen millen, juicy couture, coach outlet, moncler, canada goose, moncler, moncler, replica watches, sac lancel, moncler, swarovski uk, juicy couture outlet, air max, louis vuitton canada, ugg boots, moncler outlet, montre femme, sac louis vuitton, canada goose outlet, barbour, gucci, ray ban, pandora jewelry, canada goose outlet, uggs canada, ugg, abercrombie, ugg, louis vuitton pas cher, links of london uk, moncler, moncler outlet, swarovski jewelry, converse shoes, vans, pandora jewelry, moncler, pandora charms, canada goose outlet, canada goose, canada goose pas cher, doke gabbana outlet, louis vuitton, canada goose, marc jacobs handbags, converse, pandora uk, hollister canada

1:44 a.m.  
Blogger لمار ابراهيم للتسويق said...

شركة مكافحة حشرات عجمان
شركة مكافحة الرمة بعجمان
شركة تنظيف كنب في عجمان
شركة تنظيف بالبخار في عجمان
شركة تنظيف شقق بعجمان
تنظيف مباني بعجمان
شركة تنظيف سجاد في عجمان
شركة تنظيف في عجمان
شركة تنظيف خزانات المياه عجمان

9:28 p.m.  
Blogger الفارس كلين said...



شركه تنظيف منازل بالنعيريه
شركه تنظيف منازل بالخغجى
شركه مكافحه حشرات بالخفجى
شركة تنظيف شقق بجازان
شركة تنظيف خزانات بجازان
شركة مكافحة حشرات بالخرج
شركة عزل اسطح بالدمام
شركة تركيب طارد حمام بالدمام
شركة تسليك مجاري بالخرج
شركة نقل عفش بالخرج

8:48 p.m.  

Post a Comment

<< Home