The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Evil. That's the only word to describe what happened on that crisp fall night. I was walking near the Aqua Centre and had just made my way up a slight incline. Suddenly an angry male voice echoed through the air, its owner announcing plans to pummel whoever "did this." Uh oh, I thought. What is "this"? Unsure, perhaps a bit afraid, I walked toward the area in question, just beside the parking lot at the Aspen Grove apartments. As I approached, the street lights revealed worried expressions on a couple of ladies standing nearby. "What's wrong?" I asked. Rather than tell me, they pointed to a couple of children hunched over nearby. They appeared to be playing with a dog. As I got closer, I noticed that the animal, though friendly enough, was not in a playful mood. I saw why. His head was bloodied after someone had clubbed him. The dog, whom I was told was a stray, seemed to be doing well despite the circumstances. He'd definitely live, but I had to wonder about the affect on his ability to trust and love people. As I looked down at those big, almost expressionless eyes, I had a hard time believing the situation. For a moment, I even thought that perhaps the dog had attacked someone and the clubbing was conducted in self defense. Those at the scene ruled out that scenario, exposing my naivet. It was on that night, close to five years ago now, that I truly realized the need for a Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA) in our community. We may not like to believe it, as I had a hard time doing that night, but animal cruelty is a grim reality in our community. Just ask people involved with our SPCA, which, coincidentally, was formed within months of my unpleasant walk. Sometimes it's outright physical abuse, but more commonly it's neglect. This includes owners who provide little or no food or shelter for their pets. Can you imagine battling hunger pangs in the hot sun while wearing a fur coat all day? Why would someone treat an animal with such contempt? Perhaps they claim they're too busy to provide proper care. Maybe they're just lazy or have lost interest. I'd go as far as saying some are simply uncaring people. No matter the reason, the end result is the same: living, breathing creatures are suffering. Equally appalling are irresponsible pet owners who can't be bothered to have the animal spayed or neutered. As any reasonable person can predict, this often leads to more (usually unwanted) animals. Consequently, there have been incidents of healthy dogs and cats being carted off into the bush and shot dead. Not the classiest move in 2006, but I suppose it's cheaper to go the route of a backwoods Davy Crockett than visiting a vet for a humane end to the animals' lives. The truth is, no matter what I write here, animal cruelty will continue. If a pet owner doesn't care about their pet, nobody can force them. It's just sad that those being victimized can't speak for themselves. By the way, the battered dog I met that fall night was adopted through the SPCA. I only wish more stories like his had a similarly happy ending. Local Angle runs Fridays.
