08/07/2023
I DO NOT HAVE A CHOICE
Yesterday, I once again received a call from someone who had been calling us already before to surrender their dogs. He has about 20+, he claims. His business went down, and he had to choose who to feed daily, whether the human stomach or the animal stomach. He also said that if we will get 8 of his dogs, he will provide us money. He said he loves dogs, some of them were already given out for adoption, but when he checked them, he decided to take them back because he concluded that they were not given proper attention.
When I said that we cannot accommodate surrenders, and we do not have enough resources, the famous line that goes, "then wala ko choice ani mam, akoa na lang ni ipadog-pound."
I have heard this already many many times, how animal welfare personalities are gaslighted using the dog pound to break us hoping we would give in so they can get rid of their responsibilities. Just a year ago, exhausted from these gas lighting, I answer, "Sure, do so. It is your decision to have your dogs killed after feeding them for years and loving you as their only family, sure, ipapatay niyo po." Personally, sometimes, I wake up to messages like this, I also sleep to questions, "Asa ang dog pound kay akoang ipakuha akong iro?"
It is stressful, draining, exhausting, hurting that while we do our best, swallowing our pride, and strip ourselves naked of dignity sometimes to save the animals, there are people who shamelessly tell us, "Kung di niyo makuha mam, ipadog pound na lang nako." Like as if it is us who push them to send the dogs to the pound. Sadly, I am talking to a fellow human being.
WE hate the pound so much, yet no one makes the owners who send their dogs to the pound accountable. We allow these owners to kill their dogs even if the dogs are not wiling to die. Oh, there are times I am told that if we will not get the dog, they will sell the dog to the meat eaters.
It is quite shameful that there are humans who abuse and take advantage of the animal welfare and the dog pound to get rid of their dogs and have them killed. And while no one puts a face on the irresponsible owners, we will continue to receive messages of dogs for surrender to the pound to have them killed.
Put them up for adoption? Who will adopt an aspin? Only kind and rare souls adopt aspins.