Last night I had a dream that I was in a lush forest with tall, tall evergreen trees. I could barely see the sky because the tops of the trees came together, forming a canopy, blocking out the distant but grey sky.
I could hear dogs scattered all throughout the forest, crying for help and begging for me to come for them; but I couldn’t see them. I knew they were gonna die.
I hated the feeling, and I rushed around the forest trying to find them, to no avail. It was useless.
Then I woke up, only to discover that my dream wasn’t much different than my reality.
Last night it was -5 degrees here in Pennsylvania, with a wind chill at -20. As I snuggled up cozy in my bed with my dog and foster dogs and cats reading Breaking Dawn for the millionth time, my guts wanted to rip out of my stomach. I couldn’t even focus.
I just wanted to go to sleep so I wouldn’t have to feel the stress of knowing they were out there dying. But I felt guilty that I got to sleep warm and cozy and they are left out there to suffer another endless night and another endless day of subzero temperatures.
I feel helpless and hopeless.
I know that careless caretakers really don’t care that the dogs are frozen to the ground outside or in their pitiful excuse for a doghouse.
My brain can’t process that mentality.
When they get up in the morning, they will see if the dog is dead or not. If so, they will toss it away quickly, get rid of the evidence, before whatever local and in most cases wretchedly pathetic humane agent actually gets a call from the neighbor and may show up later to find out why they left their dog outside to die last night.
You know, just curious and all.
But it really doesn’t matter why they did it, because it’s too damn late. The dog is already dead. The dog already suffered, looking for help that never came, and died, frozen to the ground right where he lay.
And there’s nothing I can do about it.
But maybe, just maybe, if we all get angry enough, we can rise up and make some kind of damn difference. Maybe.
I spent much of the last two days faxing press releases and begging for news stories from the local news stations and papers. I did hear that the Altoona Mirror actually ran an article about animals freezing, so that’s something. I know they didn’t bother to interview us, even though that is our specialty. Maybe the TV stations did a mention, but I do know that not one of them got back to me for an interview.
I’m only local news when I get arrested, just another criminal. It’s laughable.
It really is that time, people. Don’t you feel it? Can’t you hear it calling to you?
What will it take to put the dog lovers in action? How many atrocities have to occur in America before we say enough is enough?
STOP taking the abuse. When careless caretakers abuse their dog and leave it to die in their yard, they are abusing us as well. Their pain is our pain.
When we hear and know they are suffering, we suffer right along with them. Because we’re connected.
I’m tired of being abused.
I’m tired of uprising alone.
It takes a village, people. Go uprise!
If you see a dog suffering in your area, plant yourself in front of that damn house and don’t move until you are arrested or they are. It’s really that simple.
Sooner or later the cops will know we’re not taking the abuse anymore, and they’ll start arresting the right person.
Abusers abuse, that’s what they do. They abuse us, they abuse animals. As long as we take it without fighting back, we’re just as wrong as they are.
As long as we’re big cowards, the big bullies will win.
Stand up.
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