Abby’s updates, etc.

Hi everyone, here’s the updates some of you may be waiting for.

When Abby first reached Alicia’s house, she barked at her cats. But Alicia gave her time to settle, and at about 8.30pm, Alicia text to say Abby had lost interest in the cats.

Hooray! This means she will probably not disturb the cats for now.

Alicia still needs the consent of her entire family before she agrees to adopt Abby. We understand this, of course. But we are truly very grateful to Alicia and her family for taking in Abby and giving her a chance.

Abby’s rescuer text me to find out how things are, and I have been updating her. She finally told me that if Abby misbehaves in this house, she wants to have Abby euthanised. She says she is giving up already, since there are more dogs waiting to be rehomed and she would prefer to concentrate on other dogs.

I don’t know what to say to this. The rescuer has probably seen the worst of what they do at the shelter and is very tired. She tells me how she attempts to save so many dogs, but in vain, and it is heartbreaking to see them euthanised at the shelter. Sometimes the puppies she feeds suddenly go missing the next day, and she knows they have been euthanised the day before. All healthy and young.

I think the problem here is that euthanasia is too readily available as an “easy way out”. So, people resort to it as a solution. When animals cannot be rehomed, they euthanise. When it is too costly to save an animal, they enthanise.

I have written this before in this blog, but for the benefit of new readers, I will write it again.

My friend tells me that in Bali, being predominantly Hindu, euthanasia is not allowed. If your pet is sick, you look after it. There is no other way out. The vet will teach you how best to look after your pet until it lives out its natural life. Euthanasia is not available as an option.

That’s where my friend learnt how to look after a paralysed puppy until she managed to make him walk again. There was absolutely no suggestion of euthanasia at all.

Over here, perhaps euthanasia would have “solved” the problem of a paralysed puppy. Can’t walk? Kill it.

When Joanie was brought to the hospital in that dying state, the vet also did not suggest euthanasia. But he did tactfully advise me on the cost involved and asked me to consider if I was willing to bear the costs since Joanie was a stray. I said, “Go right ahead, do the surgery and do your best to save her, please”.

So I think the problem is this – when the killing option is made available, humans will resort to it as the easiest way out.

If only humans would remove killing as an option, then we would work harder at finding a more compassionate solution.

We need to work together on this – individuals, groups, shelters, veterinarians, AND the authorities.

The bottom line is, can we please remove killing as an option?