Abandonment Alone & Ailing is Crime & Cruelty

Saroja Vasanth
A dog is a man’s best friend. They love us more than their lives, and demand just love and affection in return. But it’s sad to say that some people cannot reciprocate the pawsome love!
As compared to a few decades ago, today we are becoming more affectionate and acceptable towards pets. In most households, they are considered as family members and good care is taken. But the harsh reality is our furry friends do age as well. They also suffer from different health problems like arthritis, diabetes, heart problems, cancer, etc. For many people, the real problem starts when their cute little dog starts having health issues and they don’t know how to take care of the ailing pet.
Alone & waiting: Abandoned In late 2017 our family decided to go for a vacation near Bangalore to a pet friendly resort. Bruno, our two years old Pug also accompanied us. It was such a lovely experience. On the second day of our stay, we spotted an aged Pug. We were happy to meet him and play with him. We searched around to find his caretakers, but there was nobody around. What I found was a small tattered room where the dog stayed alone. We wanted to help him, but realised that either he could not see well or hear properly. Yet, he craved for affection and touch. His hind legs had some problem, he dragged them to walk. After a while, I saw a worker and got to know through him that the dog belonged to the resort owner and they left him alone probably because he’s old and disabled. I thought of calling some shelters in Bangalore for help but I realised the hard truth that he is aged, has damaged hind legs and maybe even too old to get treated. It could be difficult to find any families who would adopt him. Hence, he may end up in a corner cage. Here in the resort at least he was free to roam around and stayed by his will. Workers gave him food and water. I came back home with an image of him sitting near the old house door all alone and waiting. Probably he thought his pet parents may come visit him someday. Little did he know that his pet parents are too busy and heartless for him.
Ailing – tied & abandoned
A similar incident happened with a friend of mine. She called me with a teary voice saying that she and her friend have found an aged Shitzu in the middle of the road, tied and left with his bowl. The reason – most probably old age and pet parents were too fed up of taking care.They called various shelters and they got a reply that there was no place free even in the shelter and if the dog is picked up, they’d have to keep it chained. Most shelters also said that they should try and take care of the dog themselves rather than bringing him to the shelter. Being helpless they took him to the veterinary first. Thankfully the kindhearted doctor examined him and said that the dog was probably on streets only for maximum 4 or 5 days. Once he was feeling better, my friend decided to post his pictures in various dog adopting groups on various social media platforms to help him find a loving home. No one came forward for adoption. It was heartbreaking to leave him alone. My friend who already has a Golden Retriever felt terribly helpless. Finally, as there was nobody to help, my friend’s friend took the dog home and adopted him. It is people like her who restore faith in humanity!
Be worthy of such devotion
Dear people, I have something to tell you all. Puppies look cute and are little fur balls. But when they grow old, they age just like us and need support more than we do. We can talk and express our emotions, but they can only speak through their eyes. They depend upon us for their whole life. Do not bring home a dog if you cannot take care of him until his last breath and be there on his side in his happy and sad times. Abandoning them on the street, alone and helpless is nothing less a heinous crime!
“He is your friend, your partner, your defender, your dog. You are his life, his love, his leader. He will be yours, faithful and true, to the last beat of his heart. You owe it to him to be worthy of such devotion.”
-Anonymous