hey y'all.. yeah i know that sounds dorky but i like saying "y'all" :)
so at first i was going to write up another cranky, angst-ridden, super PMSey, bitchy post.. but then i took a nap with a cat that bit me four times as i drifted off to sleep and somehow that made me feel better. my brother's cat Grumps is a strange one. he'll just bite for no reason whatsoever then settle down and cuddle up. my right arm has little red welts all over. sorry i digress.. anyway i'm going to be calm and mature now. i was super angry earlier.
i left work early today and drove over to my parents' place. on the way there i saw a cat lying on the roadside. i was driving too fast (i was on the highway) and couldn't just come to an immediate stop so i went a huge round and came back to the cat driving slower and with my hazard lights on. i pulled over at the side, opened the car door (cat was at driver's side luckily) and just reached down to touch it and have a better look. turns out kitty was dead.. looked very recent, still a little soft.. no blood at all no injuries but hey i had to check to be sure. if the cat was alive it would've needed medical attention. so anyway while i was doing this, which only took a few seconds, the annoying obnoxious impatient rude ass fuck in the car behind me was honking. i was like WTF FUCKFACE?? and i stood up and gave the guy the finger. seriously just took a few seconds to slowly pull over alongside the cat and touch it to see if it was alive. the guy was honking as if he had to take the dump of his life. that pissed me off like you cannot believe. i had pulled over on a road curving right and he was right behind me (driver's sit on the right here) so he could clearly see that i was checking on an animal. plus, unless he's some illiterate fuck, he could see all the SPCA stickers on my car. there are FIVE. like put the pieces together moron. its not rocket science. so anyway i started driving again, lowered my window and gave him the finger again then i waited for him to go ahead of me so i could chase after his car and honk all the way. that made me feel better :)
anyways i was thinking that aside from having stickers that say SPCA or whatever ngo all of you volunteer for... we should all have stickers that would CLEARLY INDICATE TO STUPID PEOPLE what is happening when we pull over with our blinky flashy lights on. something that says EMERGENCY ANIMAL RESCUE or ANIMAL RESCUE IN PROGRESS.. whatever.. stickers or signs.. get me? for the dumbfucks on the road who do not understand that a chick pulling over on the frickin highway and touching a dead cat is not doing so just for fun.
oh look my post became cranky and angry again.. i should work on that..
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Showing posts with label safety. Show all posts
Friday, March 26, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Your dogs and automatic gates
Remote controlled automatic gates are a convenience that many can't live without. Most houses are equipped with them nowadays. It makes life easier doesn't it, when you don't have to get out of your car to open your gate, especially if its raining. But, steps must be taken to make sure that your canine companions do not pay a price for this luxury.
In the last few months I have heard about three terrible accidents involving dogs and automatic gates. My brother's colleague accidentally closed his automatic gate on his dog's head. He didn't realize his dog was in the way and the dog lost an eye. In the second incident, the young puppy was playing at the end of the driveway and the owner accidentally closed the automatic gate on the pup's body, breaking his spine. This poor pup is now paralyzed from the waist down. The third case involves my own dear precious former foster puppy, Holly.
I don't know much about the first two pooches' backgrounds but i know enough about Holly's to have been totally crushed when i heard that she was dead. She was rescued from the infamous DBKL Setapak Pound by Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB). This was after allegations of shocking animal cruelty at the pound came to light. Witnesses spoke of beatings, drownings, and even strangulation. The people at MDDB rescued as many as they could. Holly was one of these rescued pups and I became her foster mother. I had never met such a traumatized puppy before. She was a trembling little bundle of bones. Her eyes were full of fear and worry. She wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, choosing instead to look down at her feet or face the wall. A large, raw, gaping wound on her back right above her tail had been left untreated at the pound and turned into a soggy, festering mess.
All the sadness and suffering in her young life makes her death so much more tragic because it came at a time when she had just become happy. After a few weeks out of the pound she had really flourished. She became playful and loving. That nasty wound on her back healed and she was enjoying life. Her gorgeous soulful eyes were filled with light instead of worry. She was adopted by a nice family that had a large house with a pretty garden in a good neighborhood. There she enjoyed indoor living and had the run of the entire compound. She was very loved by the three children and their parents. She even made friends with a rabbit, a turtle, and a kitten. Life was good. Then one day about 3 months after she was adopted, someone opened the automatic gate without checking to make sure all the pets were secure inside, and Holly playfully dashed out. She was immediately run over by a car that happened to be passing by. I'll never forget when they told me she was dead. I couldn't stop crying.
Please please please make sure your dog is secure before you open your gate. The problem with an automatic gate lies in its convenience. At the push of a button it opens; the act of being there and physically opening the gate is taken away. That makes it so easy to forget to check on your dog. Some people hit the button before they're even right in front of the gate. Don't take things for granted. Leash him, have someone hold on to him, make sure he's inside the house, train him to stay in his crate when you are about to leave or enter your compound. My dog Spike knows to sit in his crate whenever someone wants to open the gate unless he is told otherwise. He sits patiently inside until the gate has been closed again. If he's not in an obedient mood, I'll get out of my car, open the gate enough for me to fit through, leash him to the front door, then open the gate all the way and drive in. Sure, its not super convenient but its not difficult either. Just a little effort for your dog's safety and your peace of mind.
Rest in peace Holly.
In the last few months I have heard about three terrible accidents involving dogs and automatic gates. My brother's colleague accidentally closed his automatic gate on his dog's head. He didn't realize his dog was in the way and the dog lost an eye. In the second incident, the young puppy was playing at the end of the driveway and the owner accidentally closed the automatic gate on the pup's body, breaking his spine. This poor pup is now paralyzed from the waist down. The third case involves my own dear precious former foster puppy, Holly.
I don't know much about the first two pooches' backgrounds but i know enough about Holly's to have been totally crushed when i heard that she was dead. She was rescued from the infamous DBKL Setapak Pound by Malaysian Dogs Deserve Better (MDDB). This was after allegations of shocking animal cruelty at the pound came to light. Witnesses spoke of beatings, drownings, and even strangulation. The people at MDDB rescued as many as they could. Holly was one of these rescued pups and I became her foster mother. I had never met such a traumatized puppy before. She was a trembling little bundle of bones. Her eyes were full of fear and worry. She wouldn't make eye contact with anyone, choosing instead to look down at her feet or face the wall. A large, raw, gaping wound on her back right above her tail had been left untreated at the pound and turned into a soggy, festering mess.
All the sadness and suffering in her young life makes her death so much more tragic because it came at a time when she had just become happy. After a few weeks out of the pound she had really flourished. She became playful and loving. That nasty wound on her back healed and she was enjoying life. Her gorgeous soulful eyes were filled with light instead of worry. She was adopted by a nice family that had a large house with a pretty garden in a good neighborhood. There she enjoyed indoor living and had the run of the entire compound. She was very loved by the three children and their parents. She even made friends with a rabbit, a turtle, and a kitten. Life was good. Then one day about 3 months after she was adopted, someone opened the automatic gate without checking to make sure all the pets were secure inside, and Holly playfully dashed out. She was immediately run over by a car that happened to be passing by. I'll never forget when they told me she was dead. I couldn't stop crying.
Please please please make sure your dog is secure before you open your gate. The problem with an automatic gate lies in its convenience. At the push of a button it opens; the act of being there and physically opening the gate is taken away. That makes it so easy to forget to check on your dog. Some people hit the button before they're even right in front of the gate. Don't take things for granted. Leash him, have someone hold on to him, make sure he's inside the house, train him to stay in his crate when you are about to leave or enter your compound. My dog Spike knows to sit in his crate whenever someone wants to open the gate unless he is told otherwise. He sits patiently inside until the gate has been closed again. If he's not in an obedient mood, I'll get out of my car, open the gate enough for me to fit through, leash him to the front door, then open the gate all the way and drive in. Sure, its not super convenient but its not difficult either. Just a little effort for your dog's safety and your peace of mind.
Rest in peace Holly.
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