It’s been a long time since I voiced my not so humble experience on the blog. I may say some things that get people going but I usually tone it down because this now belongs to the rescue. Today I am going to change that for one day. Today I am going to say what I want. For those of you looking for updates on the dogs, that will be tomorrow. Today is mine.
When I started in rescue, I really wanted to make a difference in the dogs I could see and touch. Over the years I have bitten my tongue more than I like but I have done it to maintain certain relationships. Some of us in the rescue community feel strongly about certain issues. Most of us are on the same page when it comes to basics such as spay/neuter, decent homes, treating animals as valued members of our family.
Over the last couple of years, we hear less and less about the atrocities that dogs in our own country suffer. Canada, and BC in particular are not NO KILL areas. The shelters kill all the time for various reasons. The organization BCSPCA will tell you they euthanize for aggression, behavior and illness. What they don’t tell you is what kind of aggression they kill for. Cause there are lots of reasons a dog acts out. Most of the time, it can be fixed with proper training and treatment. Ton’s of dogs go stir crazy in shelters. They don’t have enough to do, they are in small kennels with people walking by staring at them, they become fearful and try to scare people away. When they get to that point, they are killed. Some SPCA shelters kill for things as simple as parasites or kennel cough. Other shelters work their hardest to help the dogs and train and love and rehab the dogs in their care. Not all SPCA shelters are the same. But to say that dogs here in BC don’t get euthanized for space is a lie. It happens all the time. The stats won’t show it because the shelters don’t want to lose the support of the public.
And now there are those rescues that are importing dogs from other countries. Yes those dogs need help. I will not deny any of that. But so do the animals here. The ones I see as I walk thru shelters. The ones I touch. The ones that touch me. The ones that haunt me at night. Those are the ones I fear for.
I can’t stop people from doing what their heart tells them to. I don’t even want to try. But I do have the right to have an opinion on it. And I have the right to voice that opinion. And voice it I will. Until BC and Canada no longer kill dogs for little or no reason, then MY feeling is we should help at home.
I don’t expect everyone to agree with me. Hell, I don’t expect much anymore from the human race. But if what you want to do is bring dogs from other countries here and this is something you feel strongly about then don’t take offense when someone doesn’t agree with you. Don’t’ expect for everyone to stand and applaud. Don’t expect all of us to support you.
I choose to work with Rottweiler’s. I choose them because I love the breed. I choose them because I couldn’t find anyone else that was actively doing it. I choose them because they choose me. If it comes down to helping a dog in my neighborhood or helping a dog overseas, I have to choose the one here. The one that stands in front of me. The one that looks me in the eye asking for help. The one whose face I see at night. Many people advised against it. Rottweiler’s they said, were a dangerous breed. One that had no place in our society. But I stood firm in what I believed. I didn’t whine and cry and beat my chest. I just did what I thought needing doing.
So folks. Quit your whining, crying and back stabbing. Stop calling names, stop gossiping, stop slamming people if they don’t agree. We have the right to our own beliefs. I never said you couldn’t do it. I simply said I had a different view of things.