Let me share with you the story of Duchess and Duke; the link for which was just recently sent to me.
People are always saying to me, as an animal advocate, “No one is in favor of mistreatment of animals.” But if they’d open their eyes and look around, they might see differently. People may not favor it, but they often shut their eyes to it, ignore it and wish it away. To some people, its a joke or a fable.
Duchess is a real story of obvious neglect and apathy, perhaps ignorance, laziness or poverty…but I also read stories, news stories–not Urban Legends–real stories about animals cruelly and deliberately abused and killed by individuals who receive a slap on the wrists.
This is why I weep for the animals, and why I defend them so vehemently.
I do not want to even appear to defend these monsters. There is of course no excuse for the manner in the which they willfully neglected their dog and they should be punished for their neglect to the full extent of the law. Plus a sound beating with a blunt object for good measure.
On the other hand, animals suffer and die in similar ways in the wild on a regular basis. The only difference is that there is no one to report the tragedy of their suffering. Equally true is the fact that an overwhelming majority of domestic pets live better lives with better care than they could ever hope to live as wild animals. Most pet owners treat their pets as if they were their own children.
So while this story is painfully tragic, it behooves us to maintain a healthy perspective on the state of domesticated animals and their general well being. This does not mean that we should not feel and vocally express outrage at these kinds of incidents.
I am deeply disgusted that that man can even call himself a human being. To treat any animal like that… grr, it just makes me want to chain him up without food or water for three days.
Don’t forget to click on the more info link at the bottom of the page. Further updates show that that man treats humans just as bad.
This story really sickened me. Those poor animals. How someone could be so cruel I’ll never know. Duchess was probably in enormous pain for months and no one helped her… poor dog. I think if I were one of the neighbors I would have called animal control after my first visit to the owners. They obviously didn’t do anything for the dog even though they were informed a couple of times that something was wrong with her.
A horrible story to be sure, but I have questions: why didnt the neighbors act when the puppies were left to die under the trailer?
WHY, when they saw this dog wandering loose, didnt they snatch her and spirit her off?
Isnt it illegal in this backward little place to let your dog run loose? If they had taken her to MY local SPCA, they would have treated her, then made the owners pay the bill to get her back!
There is a beautiful kitten that lives across the street from me - the owners are ‘pro-free range’ for cats, so this snow white kitten is left loose all the time. There is an evil little boy up the street (isnt there always?) he finds this kitty (its NOT hard - snow white fur!) and torments/tortures it.
[insert super proud mom voice] My 9 year old chases this brat off, and does his best to protect the kitten, but it is loose, the owners are never home - what can he do?
I spoke to the owners, and they are now aware of the problem - nothing changed.
Guess what?
The white kitten is going to dissapear soon, and it will re-appear at the SPCA where a beauty like that will find a home with no problem. If the owners get it back, the kitty will keep dissapearing.
Peta I’ve seen just this year people in my state prosecuted for abusing animals. I don’t think anyone with any real decency or compassion would allow something like this to go on and remain silent. As a matter of fact I believe the average citizen would find it much easier to report an abused animal than an abused child. I think we’ve seen instances of this also. So while I salute you and your convictions, I choose to devote most of my outrage to the mistreatment of fellow human beings, especially our children. When we finally get that right then I’ll be able to feel more strongly about your chosen cause.
The story is sickening and hurts me to think that I share the planet with such people.
I don’t even want to read the link if its as bad as you all are saying.
Many years ago, there was a lady who lived next to my parents. She had a dog, but we never knew she had 37 cats (in a small condo) til they came and carried them all out, some of which were inside the stereo system (kittens), and then carried the lady away.
Thankfully, thats the worst case I have ever seen. Here in the library, they have copies of the official peta magazine.
Speaking as a practicing carnivore (the only vegetarian dish I really enjoy is linguini al pesto), I could never be a “good” PETA member. There are, however, certain standards of decency to other creatures that I believe should be upheld.
These people’s treatment of their “pet” is cruel and indefensible. The refusal of the authorities to do anything on this animal’s behalf is disgusting. I lived in NC for 2 years and did not meet anyone who would just stand by and do nothing when confronted by such cruelty. Since this animal’s cruel treatment has been so well-documented, I am apalled that no-one, from the DA on down, has done anything effective. I own 2 dogs, and, apart from my son, they are the dearest “people” in my life.
These people are teaching their children that it’s okay to treat non-humans with cruel neglect; that it’s alright to cause an animal suffering for no particular reason. I believe one reason to have pets is to teach your children that you should treat others with respect, even if they can’t speak in words or get their own food.
When I am cruel to another, even if it’s “only an animal”, I am nurturing evil in my soul. To witness such cruelty and do nothing is just as evil. I applaud the people who rescued Duchess, but I am puzzled that they allowed such cruelty to continue for so long before acting.
What a way to start my morning…this is heartbreaking.
On the plus side, according to Peta’s “Prosecuted for Theft” link, Duchess is getting better.
Still, all the suffering that has already taken place…what a senseless tragedy and utter waste.
I am watching the Montel Williams show. The subject is four young men who beat and burned a Yorkie to death. The mother of one of the young men is on the show saying her son should not be charged with arson because “it was just a dog.” I am torn between weeping for the dog and seething with anger at the woman.
I give to several animal rights charities and nearly every week in the mail I receive something like this asking for help and more funds. One letter told of a man who reported his neighbor to the police for animal cruelty when he noticed the dog in the guy’s yard was never watered or fed. When the animal rescue confronted the guy he admitted that he had been trying to starve the dog to death! Another letter told of a pair of dogs found alongside a lonely stretch of highway in the desert. Not only were they cruelly left to die, they were hogtied and chained to bushes so they had no chance of getting away. In both mailings we are of course treated to pictures of the near starving dog and the hogtied pair with sad eyes and their hind legs roped around their necks. I wish we had a crying smiley. It seems the more I find out about people the more I hate them. I wish I could do more.
Looks like the dogs leg was broken to me. If this happened like the article said weeks before the puppies were born and the dog had rocky mountain spoted fever months before this happened I can see the owners reluctance to spend hundreds of dollars on a soon to be dead dog. The dog should have been treated for the broken leg or put down.
Was the male dog chained up before the female became sick? Were they chained up to prevent pregnancy?
Who would want dead dogs decaying under their trailer?
How did the puppy’s leg get hurt?
I would assume that a dog with rocky Mtn fever would be at risk giving birth.
It seems Peta that who ever wrote that article is taking many things for granted except the fact that sensationalism will get people to send money.
PS I would like to get your views on the group that opened the mink cages allowing an entire herd of mink the “chance” to be free in NE Iowa. Will you pay the vet bills for the mink that were hit by cars,became sick because they had nothing to eat,Became pregnant by close relation because there was no one to stop that from happening, contacted rocky Mtn fever.
This happened last week.
Well, I haven’t heard about that and would like a link or more detailed info; but my take on mink is that while of course I’m opposed to “mink farms” in which animals are bred only to be slaughtered for their fur, they’re vermin and should be exterminated as such. Have you ever seen a mink? It’s just a big rat! You wouldn’t take a rat to the vet (ok, a pet rat I suppose.) They destroy crops much like raccoons do and my grandfather used to trap them accordingly.
I guess what I’m saying is that that’s a dumb way to protest something. I assume they were protesting that the minks were destined to become coats, but setting them “free” is not helping them. If they adopted them out to loving homes or something it would be different, but sounds like they were just being selfish and calling attention to themselves. Yeah, we know animals are killed for their fur…but thousands of dogs and cats are killed every week at your local humane shelter for no good reason other than they’re “in the way”. Isn’t THAT more important?
I have very little patience with the “anti-fur” campaign because when you look at the whole spectrum of animal cruelty and mistreatment it seems like such a puny issue. Maybe because I grew up in a rural area I don’t tend to have as much of a problem with animals being used constructivly. The anti-fur movement seems to be more based in an anti-rich people or anti-conspicuous consumption vibe rather than really having anything to do with animals, and there’s a very distasteful self-righteousness about it. I think people who really care about animals tackle things like puppy farms or the way veal is raised or something.
That’s my opinion on that, justwannano. I can’t comment on the rest of your post as it’s a bit incoherent and hard to follow. I disagree that the authors of the link are being “sensational” though. While it’s true that the dog should’ve been put down if it was seriously ill and the owners didn’t wish to care for it, the fact that it wasn’t done and the resulting horrors are the reason for the attention. What kind of sick person would let a half dead, footless dog lay in their yard with a dead puppy hanging half out of it’s body? Just because something is outrageous doesn’t mean it has been “sensationalised.” I think the pictures speak for themselves.
