As far as I know, he has no name. At least I’ve never heard
anyone call him by one. So I call him “Buddy”. His story probably isn’t
national newsworthy. He hasn’t suffered beatings. He hasn’t been burned with
fire or chemicals. He wasn’t mutilated or dragged behind a car. But to me, his
story is no less important. His solitary life of silent misery is the result of
human callousness, and the failure of my community, its leaders and yes, us
residents, to insist on stronger anti-cruelty laws and anti-tethering legislation.
As a result, Buddy’s life consists of a roughly 10-foot circle at the base of
an old tree at the end of a heavy bull-chain that is padlocked to a thick
leather collar buckled tightly around his neck. Under his feet is dirt, trash
and various items of other debris. His only relief from extremes of weather –
snow, ice, rain, wind, heat, humidity – and insects such as fleas, ticks and
biting flies is a makeshift doghouse and whatever shade is provided by the tree
supporting his chain. He is underweight, with his ribs clearly visible, and
hipbones and shoulder blades prominent. The only nourishment I am certain he
receives is the dog cookies I offer him. There is an old bucket next to his
doghouse that I hope has water in it, but the bucket is often overturned as a
result of Buddy’s bull chain dragging across it. So I tried to help during this
current heat wave by lowering another bucket over the fence and filling it with
my own water hose.
My husband and I have made efforts to contact Buddy’s
owners, but no one appeared to be home, so we left a note to let them know we
gave Buddy some water since his was empty. When we got no response, I called
Animal Control who referred me to the Wake Forest Police who referred me to the
Wake County Sheriff who referred me back to Animal Control. I was initially
told since it was after 5 p.m., they would only respond to emergencies and
apparently a chained dog in 100 degree temperatures with no water did not
constitute an emergency?!?!?!?! I called
again on July 4th after still getting no response from the owner to
our note, and after noticing blood on Buddy’s head. Finally, an Animal Control
officer did arrive at Buddy’s home. Apparently by this time, the owner was
home. After talking with the owner, the officer came to my house to let me know
what was going on. This is where I realized how woefully inadequate our animal
protection laws are, and to be honest, I felt very sorry for the officer as my
gut told me he really wished he could rescue Buddy from his miserable life but
didn’t have the legal right to do so.
I feel like I failed Buddy by not calling to report the
owner to Animal Control previously, as now this was his first offense so he
basically got a “pass”. I believe the officer did all he could and I do
appreciate that. And this is all he could do, since we have essentially tied
his hands by not making sure animal welfare is addressed sufficiently in our
legal system. This is inexcusable.
The owner has 24 hours to, at a minimum, get a swivel for the
chain so Buddy won’t get his tether twisted and tightened. The officer also
strongly suggested getting something lighter to tie him with since that bull
chain is very likely more than 10% of Buddy’s total weight.
The owner was given a warning for not having Buddy
vaccinated for rabies and was instructed to get that done immediately. He was
also told to take the dog to a vet for treatment of multiple head and neck
wounds due to a severe flea infestation and resultant excessive scratching.
The owner was told that Buddy had to have clean water
accessible to him at ALL TIMES 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The officer said Buddy was to have sufficient food. He did
mention to me that “there was food on the property” and sadly that is all the
law currently requires, but fails to address the problem that that does not
mean the dog is actually RECEIVING any of that food. Ridiculous. Also, the officer
said although Buddy was clearly undernourished, he wasn’t “skinny enough yet”
to be considered neglected. Again, ridiculous. You can easily see every rib,
and the hips and shoulders are extremely prominent.
The officer asked us to keep an eye on Buddy and to call him
back if any of the above conditions were not addressed, and I will absolutely
do that. But I believe we as a society and our entire system have failed this
poor dog. Look at this picture and tell me honestly that this is any kind of
life for a sentient, living being whose only desire is to be Man’s Best Friend.
I know my own heart is breaking into a million pieces, and I will do everything
in my power to get laws established to redefine animal cruelty and prevent the
perpetual tethering of dogs. It is up to us to stop tying the hands of our
animal control officers and give them the capability to help those who cannot
help themselves.
Apparently our lawmakers think this is a dog who is "okay". I, for one, DO NOT think there is anything "okay" about this in any way, shape or form, and I will not rest until our laws are changed. Will you help?
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Our Lawmakers Think This is "Okay"?!? |