About an hour ago someone turned up and asked if I wanted another puppy - actually pleading with me to take one. I do not know who he was but he was definitely not from this Moshav - I have a feeling he is from the Moshav from where Baby Ziva came and was then "lost". I also think that he had a box of puppies in the back of his car. So now I feel guilty about telling him that I do not want, cannot possibly cope with another puppy, and it is not my responsibility to rescue all the unwanted pups around, even though I know what will happen to them. Why oh why do people not bother to get their dogs spayed or neutered and then expect someone else to rescue the resulting litters?
What a shame for them I bet you are feeling quite sad My friend went on holiday, I forget which country, but, what I do remember her telling me was that there were a lot os stray dogs. She said most of them seemed quite happy and friendly, in fact 2 sheltered from the sun under her sun lounger when she was on the beach. She said that many of the hotels has designated feeding areas for them, she felt the dogs were usually looking for water Some had collars and some didn’t, the ones with collars had been captured by the authorities spayed or neutered and then released again. Not sure why they didn’t re home them, but at least they did something
I do hope they can find homes, or a shelter that might be able to assist. I'm afraid there are just too many little lives in the world. Life becomes very cheap and I admit to feeling helpless when faced with the indifference and neglect that appears on my screen daily. It is hard not to dwell on things that you have no influence over.
As and when stray dogs are picked up by the authorities here they are not spayed or neutered and then released again. If the dog is not wearing a collar with an address tag, and/or microchipped, they are kept in the local pound for a maximum of five days. It is a sad situation but there are just too many unwanted litters and unwanted dogs, with nobody wanting to rescue them, and there are very few rescue homes. The voluntary one from where Pereg came closed down some years ago, and I have no doubt that others have also done the same. We get enough dumped dogs on the Moshav - as do other Moshavim, Kibbutzim and army bases. People get puppies because the children nag for one - and then the puppies grow and as most people live in apartments... the unwanted dogs are driven to the nearest "dumping" place, open the car door, chuck the dog out and drive off as fast as they can. I have seen enough of them do it - mainly on a Friday afternoon after the macolet has closed and there are not many people around. Just cars driving off to spend Shabbat at family or friends somewhere, or other people driving in to spend Shabbat here. And the dogs tend to be dumped just by the macolet because it is not overlooked.
I am still feeling guilty Carole even though I know that I just could not cope with another puppy. Tikva is nearly 2½ but she is still a puppy in her opinion, and even though she is mostly good as gold she can be a little horror. And I do not think she would take kindly to sharing her territory - or her human slave. I have adopted four unwanted puppies in the last 20+ years. Lexi, Pereg, Baby Ziva, and now Tikki. Lexi was such an easy pup and was always almost too good to be true, apart from being an escape artist and then not wanting to come home until she was ready. Pereg was - well, she would have still been here had the Monster not struck her. Baby Ziva was with me for such a short time - I wonder how she would have developed had she been given the chance. And Then Came Tikva. And then my headache started - but she is lovely when she is
