Why we should care for our animal friends

I was set the task of writing about being a good pet ‘owner’ by some friends on Facebook so I have decided to write a little about why I think we have a duty to our animal friends in a civilised society.

Let us be entirely clear about this – if you take custody of an animal as a pet, you have a duty to care for that pet to the best of your ability for the rest of its natural life. 

There are some pets, like cats and dogs, who choose their ‘owners’ by coming up to prospective ‘owners’ and making that person fall in love with them.  In my own case, when I first went to buy a cat from an owner whose cat had recently had a litter I really wanted the female kitten.  She was long-haired and the most gorgeous silvery-grey you have ever seen but she wanted none of it.  It was her brother who came up to me and lovingly rubbed himself against me.  At that moment, he was my companion and my friend.  I called him Merlin and he’s lived with me for 16 years as my constant companion, friend and, although this may sound very strange, my son.

Merlin has annoyed me, scratched me and ignored me at times but when it counts, when I’m sad or feeling alone, he’s always been there for me.  In some ways, he’s been better than any human friend I’ve ever had because he’s never turned his back on me so, in return, I have always ensured that his health and well-being has had priority even over my own.  He has cost me thousands in veterinary bills but you can’t put a price on the unconditional love I get from my beloved cat.

The same applies to any animal who chooses you to live with – there should be no price you are not willing to pay to protect their life and health.  You should play with them, stroke them and love them with all your heart because they’ll return the favour in spades.

Even the animals who don’t choose you as their ‘owner’, such as hamsters, birds, and lizards, deserve nothing less than the best food you can afford, the best home to live in and the best treatment you can afford.  In my own case, my wife and I have been the proud owners of a number of rescued hamsters for whom we have spent a small fortune getting them the best habitats to live in and the best food and treats.  We have also done whatever was necessary to extend their short lives, no matter the cost, as long as they would not suffer as a result of keeping them alive.  We paid £70 for an operation to save one hamster, Fluffy, when she fell ill.  She unfortunately died under the anaesthetic because the illness was more invasive than was first thought but we willingly paid for the operation for the one chance in a million that she might survive and live for a little longer.  We could have had her euthanized for £20 or so and replaced her with a new hamster for about £10 but we felt a duty to try to save her regardless of the low chance of success.  We also spent a whole night trying to save the life of another hamster, Rocky, when we found that part of her bowel had become prolapsed.  We were unable to take her to the vet because they were shut and the emergency vet was too far away for us as we had recently lost our car.  We were told by the emergency vet to keep the piece of protruding bowel moist overnight as it may have been possible to reinsert it the next day.  We kept the piece of bowel lubricated and we bottle fed water to Rocky all night in the hope that we could save her but when we got her to the vet the next day it became apparent that the loss of blood was too great and she died.  In Rocky’s case, we kept up our ministrations all night only because she appeared to be in no distress otherwise I would have taken it upon myself to end her suffering by my own hand rather than watch her suffer needlessly.

Strange as it may be to say this but all of my ‘pets’ are seen not just as members of my family that I ‘own’ but are seen as my sons and daughters and, as such, it is my duty as a parent to care for them to the best of my ability, regardless of the expense.

We should look after the animals in our care because it is the civilised thing to do and because, as humans, we have a duty to look after the creatures that are otherwise defenceless.  Our pets are totally dependent on us to look after them when they are ill or hungry because they can’t cure their own ills and most pets can’t go hunting on their own.

Pet ownership is a sacred duty and a privilege that too many people fail to appreciate.  There are so many horror stories about abuse of pets or the use of torturous devices to ensure an animal’s compliance that I have to question whether we live in the civilised society we supposedly live in.

Surely, how we treat our animal friends says a lot about us as a species and isn’t it right that we give the right impression of our species by taking care of the animals in our charge?  Any less is disingenuous if we claim to be truly civilised.

Letter for a friend

Here's the full text (anonymised) of a letter I wrote for a friend.

To Whom It May Concern,

I am writing to you to ask you to reconsider your decision, if you have not already done so, not to prosecute the case regarding the act of arson that claimed the lives of four canines and destroyed the home and possessions of Ms __________.

Although Ms _____ is a friend, I am writing as an animal lover and as an advocate for justice.  I believe that this case should be prosecuted because, as a species, the human race has a special duty to protect the lesser species we have domesticated and made our pets and companions.  The loss of home and possessions is a tragedy but they can be replaced over time; the loss of an animal cannot.  Individuals who take animals into their homes as companions form deeper attachments with them than they do with their human family as they have chosen those specific animals and those pets have as great a need for their owner as a child does for a parent.  Ms _____ did not just lose her home and possessions that day; she also lost four members of her family, just as dear as any human family she may possess.

It is distressing to think that the four dogs died in fear and pain, their fur burning and their flesh seared, unable to escape from a place in which they had felt safe in the past and had the right to feel safe and secure.  Even if Ms _____’s dogs had survived the cowardly act of arson of which they were victims, they would have been unable to demand justice for themselves so it is the duty of your office to be their voice as it would be for any victim of murder or manslaughter.

I realise that there are financial considerations regarding which cases you can or cannot prosecute; however, for justice to be done, there are some cases that must be prosecuted.  This case is one such case.  It is not whether you win or lose the case, it is whether, morally and ethically, you fight the case to send a message to the world that acts of animal cruelty are abhorrent to us as a species, that spiteful and cowardly acts such as this are not to be tolerated by society.  It is only by fighting such cases that society’s ethical and moral standing can be raised to the point that crimes such as these are eradicated.

As a society and as a species, we must show that animals we have domesticated have a special place in our culture and must therefore be given certain inalienable rights befitting that place.  If the victims of this crime had been human children, the case would have gone to court.  Ms _____’s dogs have a right to justice, equal to any human victim and perhaps more so, because of our responsibility to them as their guardians.

I hope this letter will change your decision and that you will prosecute the person accused of this heinous crime.  Be the voice of the innocent victims of this tragic event.  Be the true agents of justice that you entered your profession to be.  Win or lose be damned; do what is right, morally and ethically, and justice will be done.

Regards,

Myles Cook (Mr)

And here's the reply...

Thank you for your input. The decision not to pursue this case is based entirely on the law, applicable to the admissible evidence - and the fact that animals perished does not change the rules of evidence, or the law.

Our decisions are based on facts, evidence that is admissible under the rules of evidence, and the existing law - not emotion. The decision will not be reconsidered.

Gary Beatty

Justice for a special dog

I could not believe this when I read it.  Please support this cause and get justice for this special animal.

Some kids placed typical Christmas strong firecracker in the mouth of this animal and made sure he could not open it.


The world is like this. To these kids it must have been a macabre fun for a few minutes and then they continued with their life like nothing happened.


To this animal his life ended during those minutes, with a pain so deep that is better to forget.


If you are against the mistreatment of animals, sign this so we can get justice for this poor dog!

http://www.causes.com/causes/645034-justice-for-a-special-dog/about

Normal service will be resumed...

It's been a while since my last blog entry and I think that it's only right that I explain.  Some of you will already know that my cat, Merlin, has been rather ill lately and has needed a lot of treatment and observation.  This meant that I had to forget my trips to the public library to update my blog as I have no internet connection at home.  Of course, this also means that I am left with much emptier pockets and a long list of things that need doing.  I will, however, try to catch up as soon as I can.

One thing that my recent experiences have left me with is a burning desire to campaign for a National Veterinary Health Service (NVHS) for the UK along the lines of the National Health Service (NHS) for humans.  All the treatment that Merlin has undergone has come to around £2000, an amount that is only partially covered by the pet insurance.  I still have 20% of that amount to pay out.  There is an organisation called the People's Dispensary for Sick Animals(PDSA) that provides some cheap veterinary service but only if you live in the catchment area of one of their hospitals and you are in receipt of either Housing Benefit or Council Tax Benefit.  I may be in a catchment area but I am not receiving either of those benefits so I could get no help from the PDSA despite the fact that Merlin's health problems were serious, possibly life-threatening.

Now, the UK has always prided itself on being a nation of animal lovers so I think that offering no help to people who may need to have a pet for, in my case, mental health reasons or simply because they need the companionship a pet provides but are not on Housing or Council Tax Benefits, is ludicrous.  In fact, not having a 'free at the point of delivery' health service for pets at all is ludicrous.  There may be problems that will arise as to who should be eligible for such as service.  For example, I think that the rich should pay for the treatment of their animals as they can afford it; however, families on low incomes and people who have animals for mental health reasons or sensory animals should get free treatment for their pets (if they don't already).  People who rescue animals from abusive environments should be similarly given free veterinary care for their adopted pets but, unlike the NHS that allows non-UK residents to have free non-emergency healthcare and operations, the NVHS should give free treatment only to UK residents' pets except in the case of emergency treatment for the financially distressed.  I'm not trying to be nationalist about it, I'm simply trying to ensure that the UK doesn't become the destination for veterinary health tourism as we have for human health.

If there was any doubt that the UK needs an NHS for pets, then I would put the argument forward that, as a nation of animal lovers, we need to show that by making sure that animals are cared for and not put down simply through lack of money for treatment.  It's disturbing to think that, if I had not had the foresight to get pet insurance, my cat would have been put down because I could not have afforded the treatment that has, I hope, saved his life.