Molly is a horse with three legs*. Oh, she was born in
perfect condition, but during the floods caused by Hurricane Katrina in
Louisiana, she was abandoned by her boss. After weeks of wandering around in
flooded areas, she was found and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were
harbored. Unfortunately, Molly's misery did not end there, because she was
attacked by a pitbull who mangled her right foreleg. As it usually goes with
social cases, Molly was not a priority for the vet, because there was no one
who could pay the bill. Luckily the vet saw her and was moved with compassion.
He saw how careful Molly treated her damaged leg and how she would lay in ways
that she would not acquire any additional wounds. He also saw how she allowed
people to help her. This horse wanted to survive and the vet decided to help.
Molly's mangled leg was amputated just below the knee and
she received a provisional prosthetic leg. From there on, things improved
steadily. A prosthetic specialist made her a permanent prosthesis and thanks to
her balanced attitude Molly regained her zest for life. Today, she even notifies
others when she wants her prosthetic leg attached or removed and best of all, she
even has a job! Molly and her new owner visit hospitals and other places where
people, especially children, have lost the will to live. With her presence and
the story about her survival many get encouraged to work on their recovery with
renewed energy.
Stories like Molly’s can be found around the world. Animals
can be our greatest friends if we let them. We only need to be receptive to
their generous, giving nature in order to experience how kindhearted most of
them are. And then, it should be self-explanatory that we should also be there
for them when they are in distress.
It is this last part that is sometimes lacking among humans.
We want our animals to be there for us when we need them, but when it is the
other way around, we often feel as if we cannot invest as much time, love and
energy in them.
I therefore welcome the initiatives of many animal shelters
and entities who go out of their way to save abandoned or mistreated pets and
try to give them a new, loving home. The
most painful truth is that many people think they are animal lovers, and choose
to remain in complete ignorance about their actions. Think of the many people
who state that they love their birds, but keep them caged year after year? Or
those who swear that they love their dog but keep them chained month after
month with no running space and no time or chance to play? And think of all the
people that walk around in zoos with great pleasure, totally ignorant to the
suffering of those caged animals?
There's a nasty selfish basis in keeping animals captive for
our enjoyment. It reveals our inability to relate to the fate of these animals
that have received a life sentence without having committed any crime. However,
we do have the ability to think and reflect, and I am inviting you to consider
animals with more reflective depth -- not only your pets but all animals. Give
them a chance of a life they can enjoy, please? Take good care of them. Feed
them well, take them to the vet when they are ill, and grant them proper space
to move and play? If your pet is always locked or chained because you are so
busy, you might want to consider granting him or her some more time, or
donating him or her to someone who can
muster more time and love? I do hope that you read this in the spirit in which
it is intended: not as reprimand, but as a humble request from animal lover to
another.
No comments:
Post a Comment