Merci on Invisible Abuse

I'm Merci. It's my turn to post and there's something I want to bring to everyone's attention today.
I'm a very nervous dog and easily scared. I never had to tell Jan I was abused before we met.  She figured it out even before the first time the leash got tangled around her leg and she lifted her foot to free herself. I took off so fast the leash zipped tightly around her leg and nearly took her down. The other dogs don't move if they're in Jan's way. They expect her to step over them. But if she tries that with me, I leap up, screeching and trip her. Six years later I'm still terrified of raised feet or unexpected movement. 

So I'm not fond of anyone who hurts a furry and from what I've learned about invisible fences makes me even more grateful to Matthew, Kay and all those involved in helping us get the Romper Room set up so we can have some freedom.

Invisible fences seem to have become pretty popular for a variety of reasons. The shock, no matter what proponents claim, has to be painful, yet dogs do get past the "fence." And today we found an article we think describes the drawbacks better than we could since we've only read about them and never dealt with one.  But our thought on the subject is that anyone who wants to put one on their dog should be required to have to wear a matching shock collar so they can have as much fun as the dog is having.  That would quickly put an end to this fad.

How Do You Define Animal Abuse? By Suzannah Sloan

To quote Mark Twain, "The more I know people, the more I love my dog." While I've met up with many truly good people in my three decades of animal rescue work, I've also come across some of the worst of the worst - among them, the ones who choose to profit off the misery of animals. Who comes to mind? Those who run puppy mills, of course, and those who enrich themselves through dog-fighting and dog racing, horse racing, rodeos and circuses. And right up there on the list - the manufacturers and purveyors of invisible fencing.

The horrors of invisible fencing are becoming legion. From pets who take the shock to leave the yard, but won't come back, to pets with probe burns right through the neck, to pets who are dinner for raccoons, coyotes, and other animals who don't happen to wear the torture collars. And the list goes on.

A woman once inquired about adopting a dog from us, and questioned our policy of not adopting to anyone with invisible fencing. She said she had chosen the product because she didn't want to block her wonderful view, and claimed it had been a godsend for her dog and her eight-year-old son. But when I asked how the boy had adjusted to wearing the collar, she was actually offended that I would think she would abuse her child in such a way. Need I say more? You can read the rest of the article here.

If you haven't voted for Tivi yet, please do. If you don't know who Tivi is, he's a special needs dog adopted by a kind man. We posted on Tivi before. Details here, if you need them.

Lance - now known as Sampy -- is a blind kitty cats and humans were tweeting and emailing about the other day. He was rescued from the shelter just 2 hours before his scheduled euthanasia so he could be shipped to his new home in another state. Thursday eve we saw this message on the CB from Whicky Wuudler and since we have to get off the computer ASAP, we're going to borrow his words:

HELP NEEDED! Lance was pulled at the last minute from the kill shelter and his life saved. He has been renamed Sampson EmmCee by his adopter in NY but before he is able to travel to his new home, he needs some veterinary care. Sampy has seen the vet and he has tested positive for FiV (His adoptive Mum still wants him though) He also has pneumonia and a URI. As if that weren’t enough for the poor lad, one of his eyes needs to be removed. Sampy is still in the care of a very kind foster who has experience with blind cats, he’s getting great care, medicines and special foods and of course, all of this costs many dollars. Sampson’s Catster page is where his future adoptive Mum Cheri writes about how he is doing. Believe Cat Rescue is coordinating donations to help meet dear Sampy’s vet and care needs ($500). If any cats or beans would like to contribute to Sampson’s treatment then Sampson would be one very happy cat. We know that times are hard right now and everyone is feeling the pinch, but even the smallest donation will count big time. His future adoptive Mum is contributing all she can to the costs too. Please help Sampy if you can. Thank you 

And Monday the 26th is drawing closer so be sure to get your entry in for our Kids and Pet giveaway.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.