I hear furious barking as someone opens the front gate. All of my fellow canines jump to their feet and stand anxiously at the front of their pens. Half of them are excited to see a new face and playmate. The other half are still shaken from their experience at the last shelter; they seek only to guard what little dominion they can claim and warn away these untrustworthy humans. As for me, I slowly stand and lean back on my haunches to stretch the cramped muscles from my nap. My companion named Happy continues to snooze, so I quietly trot up to the front of our enclosure to see what the fuss is about.
As I poke my black muzzle through the wiring of the cage, I spot two young humans walking among the pens. Almost instantly, my tail starts to wag like a helicopter preparing for lift-off. These look like just the type that enjoy hunting for interesting smells in the brush! I begin to pace a little in front of the gate latch. The grass is already well-worn from this activity committed so many times before. My initial curiosity moves towards excitement as they near my cage. One of the volunteers of the shelter carefully undoes the latch, and I calm myself enough for her to put me on the leash and lead me out of the pen. I knew better than to bark or cause such a ruckus. I may be young, but I’ve seen what happens to dogs that are too loud for their own good.
But it seems these people are as curious to meet me as I am to meet them. The girl with long hair kneels down to meet me at eye level. “Hello Mollie! Mind if we take you for a walk?” Although I’m incapable of human speech, my brown eyes soften, and I pant in gleeful anticipation. The leash trades hands, and suddenly they give me free reign over the field stretching before me. Natural instincts kick in, and I put my nose to the ground to track the scents of the many visitors before me. I catch a whiff of squirrel, and once again my tail swipes side to side, gently tapping the girl holding my leash. She seems to notice my actions because she reaches down and scratches me between my ears. I gaze back at her imploringly. May we follow the scent?
The leash, that supreme tool of control, remains slack, so I trot along the unseen trail left by furry prey. I guess today is my lucky day. The two humans follow behind me placidly, indulging my olfactory curiosity. Sadly however, the trail eventually goes cold and I lose my tracking game. Right as I’m about to search for a new worthy prey, I hear the rustle of plastic I know all too well. Treat?!?
My attention is immediately riveted by the little piece of processed food held between the fingers of my companion.
“Sit.”
Immediately my haunches sink to the grass, eyes still focused on the morsel being held above me.
“Lie down.”
Despite what you humans seem to think about us dogs, we’re really not stupid. Our means of conversing might be different than yours and our social tenants vary, but we can easily see that you want some action from us. Just because a canine doesn’t respond immediately doesn’t mean we don’t want to please. Sometimes we just need a little help in understanding what you want. I am afraid this girl won’t see that though. I sit, alert to the possibility of an angry remark or action. However, it never comes.
Instead she repeats the command. “Lie down.” This time it is followed up with a gesture-placing her hand against the ground. Of course I immediately oblige and am rewarded with the tasty morsel. The chewy, flavorful kibble disappears in a flash. Ah, this I can do.
We repeat the process, and I earn nothing but treats and scratches behind my ears. Filled with delight at all the attention and praise, I start to lean against the girl’s leg and nearly topple over.
But all too soon she’s leading me back towards my small pen, my miniature prison of boredom where there are no interesting creatures to hunt and only the calm vibe exuded from Happy keeps me from going stir crazy. Still, I feel hopeful. After spending so long hearing what a worthless animal I am in the old shelter, its refreshing to be treated like the friend I want to be. Maybe that couple will come back. Maybe I’ll even be leaving here for good tomorrow! In any case, it seems life has more squirrel hunts and tasty treats in my future than I had ever imagined.
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Alright, so I’m not really a 3 year old part German Shepard dog named Mollie, but after visiting her in the care of Austin Pets Alive, I feel that I can sympathize with her plight. Whether human or animal, being displaced and in lack of a home is one of the most traumatic and difficult situations to deal with. In Mollie’s case, her owners felt unable to properly care for her (for undisclosed reasons) and simply dropped her off at the animal shelter. I’ve always thought that surely here in the United States there are enough homes to take in our domesticated furry friends. However, we seem to only have neglect for an “estimated 8 to 10 million cats and dogs enter animal shelters yearly.
” This figure doesn’t even include smaller, less official shelters that pop up all over the nation. Why is it that we can comment on how awful it is that a group of people are displaced, but when we hear of creatures suffering- just of a different species- we say “that’s just life”? I feel it’s odd that we have so many options for preventing the unnecessary suffering of animals at home, yet such a cause tends to be harder for people to rally behind.
I believe part of my annoyance with such an attitude stems from my connection to my spirit animal. At the beginning of last semester, I took a journey within my consciousness and found a wolf residing in my soul- a companion and teacher to help me grow. As I continued to meditate and research my lupine protector, I came across many references to how “wolves are absolutely committed and loyal to the pack and find their place within the group.”
And I know this is not just true of the wild wolves but of our domesticated friends as well.
Dogs need a pack to belong to, protect, and feel connected with. Because of centuries of working with these canines, they have become completely dependent on humans for food, shelter, and emotional comfort. Too often I’ve heard people express the sentiment that dogs can survive in the wild if need be. I think they don’t comprehend the difference between survive and thrive. Humans can survive independently in a forest or plain, but the emotional need to be connected to another creature keeps that life from being complete. Whether extraverted or introverted, we all need some form of connection to those around us. No man is an island and neither is a single dog or cat. Generations of humankind have developed a close relationship to dogs that cannot be abandoned at a moment’s notice. It’s no surprise that animals struggle so much when they first come to the shelter. Oftentimes, they don’t understand the situation beyond the fact that they’ve been abandoned to utter strangers.
This can cause them to lash out when first put in their new kennel. In fact, according to instructor of veterinary science Crista Coppola, "day three [in the shelter] is usually the most stressful. The dogs have not yet begun to acclimate, and have reached their tolerance level of responding to unpredictable surroundings.”
This stress manifests itself in physical and psychological changes that can make a dog unappealing for potential adopters. I can certainly understand how a child visiting with his or her parents might become terrified at the barking din of the shelter and change their mind about getting a new pet. And because the lack of adoptions, in these crowded conditions most dogs only have a short window of opportunity before they must be euthanized to make room for the influx of others.
It’s during this critical stage that Austin Pets Alive steps in, takes animals off death row, and puts them into their own shelter system. Their primary goal is to make Austin a “no-kill zone” and rehabilitate the animals so that they can belong to a loving family. Whether they exist as packs, flocks, schools, pods, herds, gaggles, or communities, all beings need a support network. Austin Pets Alive works hard to make sure their dogs and cats find that relationship with a new family. My personal experience with them couldn’t have been better. It was obvious that all the volunteers had favorite stories to share about their charges and could talk for hours about the entertaining way some certain animal would behave. I truly believe each dog was an individual personality to the volunteers and part of a temporary family they created.
And though it might just seem like typical Austin hippie fashion to spread the love and protect our animal brethren, why shouldn’t it be applied to the world at large? We’re all connected inhabitants of this planet earth and rely on each other through more connections than can ever be iterated. Don’t let the vast network down, help protect man’s best friend and support APA! in their endeavors. I know I will.
FINAL WORD COUNT: 1, 623
WITHOUT QUOTES: 1, 566
[1] "Safe Haven: Why Pets are Put Up for Adoption," Discount Horse Track, February 15, 2011, http://discounthorsetack.org/safe-haven-why-pets-are-put-up-for-adoption/
[2] Takatoka. Wolf. Spirit Guides. Manataka American Indian Council. Web. 18 Sept. 2010.
[3]University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. "Constant Din Of Barking Causes Stress, Behavior Changes In Dogs In Shelters."ScienceDaily 26 July 2006. 3 March 2011 <http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2006/07/060726084338.htm>.
Photos:
Thanks to John Peel for the excellent photography
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