Some people shouldn't be around pets, let alone have them. Think yesterday's stupid person was bad? Stick around and read about what I saw today.
This afternoon I saw a very sweet young female Siberian husky. She weighed 37 pounds and should have weighed closer to 50. The tips of her ears were missing, mangled, and bloody from suspected attack by another dog. Her previous owner had let her outside and put her on the streets after she had a litter because the woman "had gotten what she wanted" and "didn't have a use for her anymore". The dog was wandering the streets for a month before she was picked up by a shelter and identified. The owner was contacted, which is when she casually admitted that she abandoned her. She said that she only wanted the puppies so that she could sell them. The shelter asked about any vaccines and the woman stated "yeah, I have the records but it's too much trouble to bring them to you."
It's cases like this that make you loose faith in humanity. Some people see a living creature and only think about what money it can make them. Now don't get me wrong, I have no problem with livestock and production animals. But even those should be treated humanely and slaughtered in an appropriate manner. When it comes to a companion animal and pet I believe that the standard is even higher. A person who would use a dog to get a litter of puppies and then turn it out on the streets should be strung up and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.
Thankfully there are also people who restore my faith in humanity.
This dog was brought in by a young couple who had seen her online and adopted her yesterday. They weren't wealthy, but wanted to do everything they could to help her. And they really meant that. We did a fecal parasite exam, heartworm test, blood cell count, blood chemistry profile, and a very thorough exam. Thankfully she was in surprisingly good condition other than a few signs of malnutrition and the wounded ears. We dewormed her, prescribed antibiotics for her ears (the wounds were older and partially healed, so surgery wasn't indicated), started her on heartworm prevention, and discussed nutrition. In a few months when she has gained weight and is in better health they are going to have her spayed.
All of this was great. But what really set the new owners apart was how they handled the situation. When they found out about the puppies and this situation they contacted the local Animal Control department, who went to the other woman's home and confiscated the puppies. Those puppies are now being cared for by a local Siberian husky rescue organization.
People like the dog owner yesterday and the original owner of today's dog make me wish you had to go through a certification process in order to own a pet. However, what keeps me sane as a vet and makes me want to continue to help people are the clients like this dog's new owners. They were wonderful, nice people who are truly putting themselves out there to help this dog. With proper care and TLC I expect her to make a full recovery.
See, not all clients are complete idiots!
