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Here's a recent encounter out in the country side... I hope the two dogs are safe/warm... I'd gotten up to check on everything, and found that something had attempted to close NINA. That didn't make much sense to me. After I canceled the close request I suddenly found myself with a dog snout off to my right sniffing my face. At first I thought it was the property owner's dog, so I reached out and said 'Hello.' and felt fur that wasn't familiar. I saw the dog's face lit by the laptop screen, it was not the dog I was expecting. I did recognize it from seeing it hours before along the gravel road. My heart sank as I it seemed the poor dog had been abandoned, as often happens out that way.The dog pulled back at my touch. So I retracted my hand and talked gently/softly to it, asking it if it had been abandoned, etc. The dog re-appeared to my left side and resumes sniffing my face. It growled slightly when I moved a little to look, to try and get the wet snout off my nose/eyes/mouth. To be honest hearing that growl was concerning, especially so close to my face... The dog knew people, maybe hadn't been treated well by them. So I talked some more to the skittish dog. I let the dog smell me as it felt it needed to for a while.The dog turned very friendly soon after that. I felt large burs stuck in its coat all around its neck and head. It retreated when I stood. My heart sank, was it afraid of people, had it been mistreated, simply afraid of this unknown stranger (me) in its territory? The dog returned quickly, judging me to be 'okay' and let me feel its neck, no collar. That's often the case out away from the city. The dog kind of looked like a St. Bernard, nowhere near the size of one.Clouds were approaching... the first of heavy overcast forecast the rest of the night, and following day, so I began packing up. I found the dog's other pack member standing on top of a tornado shelter right about the time the first dog returned. Both were staring at me. I turned my flash light to the dog on top of the shelter... a large Labrador. It growled. I lowered the flash light and turned it off, and talked to the dog the same as I had to the first. The first dog rushed up to me and began to rub itself and nuzzle me, etc. The Lab came off the shelter and immediately began to beg for attention and whimper. At this point I felt certain they'd been abandoned, and wondered what I how I could possible help them out. I had no food, or water.I continued my packing, the Lab was very insistent on getting attention and interested in what I was doing, jumping up, licking my hands, face, etc. Like the other dog, it was very skittish. The simple act of taking the mount head off the tripod sent both darting away, only to return after deciding it wasn't anything going to harm them.I texted the property owner to let them know some dogs were around, just in case. I picked up the power cord and began to draw it out in long loops and coiled it up to place it in the car's trunk. Both dogs disappeared, and I did not see them again. I talked to the property owner, it sounded like they were dog's from the next road to the west. Why they were left outside (it was near 12 am) on a cold winter night... The poor dog's really seemed to want/need someone to give them attention. I really hope someone does and they were just 'soaking up' any attention they could get 'just because' they were used to that. I really hope they are okay. I know the property owner, and they care a lot, so I know they will do the right thing, should dogs hang around. David |
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Hello David, As an owner of two little dogs I thank you for sharing your experience and for helping increase awareness. Unfortunately, I cannot report any better situation in Okinawa, Japan. Animal abuse is commonplace, sometimes excused as Japanese "culture" (like the whaling) while perpetrators are always getting away scott-free. I heard about cases when dog owners took their dog to a remote place, then broke all four legs and threw the dog out of the car window alive. Nobody cares, including police and municipal authorities. When you report abuse you will be ignored or put on a black list, while 10 thousands of animals are "legally" gassed or killed otherwise countrywide. That's cheap and easy in the middle of a nation-wide profitable pet boom with all eyes closed. Even though the US bases here are hated by many for violent crimes, US service personnel are most animal caring. There is an animal care NGO (volunteers) on a base. They told me their hands are tied as instructed not to upset local Japanese authorities with animal issues. That ties it all. I always have dog snacks, water and spare dog leads in the car, just in case. That's all we can do. Please remember, you are making a difference. The prefecture of Okinawa prints posters saying "Animal Abuse is Crime", but does not act against the cruelty. Our veterinarian has more stories to tell. All the best, Robert |
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Yes, animal abandonment is a sad fact of life. I live about 7 miles from town and during the real estate bust of 2009-2010, people were losing their homes and abandoning their pets out in the hot, dry, Arizona desert. A death sentence for the animals for sure. One day my then 6 year old son came to me with a starving, thirsty Pitbull puppy which was maybe 6 months old. The dog had cactus spines stuck in him from his nose to his tail. My son wanted to keep the dog. I thought why me? Why a Pitbull? You see, I had been fed all the propaganda about these dogs and believed that crapola. Well, long story short, we kept the dog, got him the food, water and veterinary attention he needed and he has become the most wonderful dog a family could have. He is my nighttime observing/imaging partner. When I am working from home he is always next to me. When I am working on my property, he is always there to “help”. When I am doing my thing with the telescope, I have a cushion for him that I put next to my little laptop table and he spends every evening I get out with me keeping me company. I could tell many more boring tales of the true nobility of this wonderful dog. But I will just say that old Jack is about the best friend I’ve ever had. I hope there is a special place in the afterlife for people who do these terrible things to their pets. To me, unimaginable. |
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Hi @Michael Feigenbaum, What a beautiful happy end and not boring at all. Good actions get rewarded. CS Rüdiger |
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| @Michael Feigenbaum If, in my next life, my consciousness and soul will be in the body of a dog, then I wish I'd be near where you live. |
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| Lol... |
