Animal cruelty is a crime, and it is wrong

A Patriot's Opinion

By Jim Snyder

Nothing makes me angrier than seeing pets being dumped or abused. Every day in this country thousands of animals are being euthanized for no other reason than they were abandoned by their owners. There are thousands of shelters all across this country that are doing God’s work every day to rescue dogs and cats and try and find them homes, but for every one they are able to save there many more who are not so lucky. More times than we know beautiful Christmas puppies become adult dogs. Then one day the new wears off and they are simply put out like the daily trash to fend for themselves. These animals don’t have a choice many times in how they are treated. It breaks my heart every time I see a dog running down the side of the road with that terrified look in their eye. I remember many times seeing a dog sitting on the side of the road in the spot where they were dumped as if they were waiting for their owner to return. Just the other day when I was heading to town I saw a small brown puppy walking down the side of the road. The poor baby was scared and darted into the weeds every time a vehicle drove by. I prayed to God to please not let this baby get hit by a car. Last I saw it the puppy had run into the woods. While I knew it was safe from the cars at that time I knew that when it got dark that poor baby would more than likely be a victim of coyotes or some other creature.

Not a week goes by that I don’t see a dog that has been abandoned. I just want to get all of those fur babies and take them home, but I know that is not possible. I often used to joke and say if I ever won the lottery I would have a puppy/doggie ranch. But that would only be a band aid solution to a much larger problem. The problem I think has more to do with the fact that many have lost their respect for the life of their non-human companions. I have heard many times that God will honor those who take care of their animals. I have only ever told a small handful of people this story but after my wife died back in 2003, I lost the ability to hunt. I had deer hunted all of my life and had harvested dozens of bucks. But after experiencing the death of my former spouse I gained an increased compassion for animals, especially dogs. Anyone who follows my Facebook page can attest to that. I had always loved dogs but it was like I was commanded to do more.

Another one of our pet peeves is seeing dogs tied out on chains. We have seen many dogs on tangled up chains with no dog house or anything else to use for cover to get in during the cold weather or rain. The expression on their faces is heartbreaking. You know by looking into their eyes that they are sad and are probably not going to get any better treatment. We currently have 5 dogs at our house. All of them are rescues. Well our huge yellow Lab was inherited as a grand-dog after the kids could not keep him in an apartment, so that was sort of a rescue but the other 4 are 100% rescue dogs. They were dumped or abandoned by someone who did not want to care for them anymore. And yes every one of them is spoiled rotten. But they love us to pieces because they know they are loved and cared for. The ladies at the Family Dollar see me several times every week getting dog treats or chew bones. And we go through 50lbs of dog food every two weeks or so. But it’s all done with love as I believe we have a moral obligation to take care of these babies that the Good Lord saw fit to place in our care. Did you think taking in a rescue animal happens by accident? No, it’s a match made in heaven.

This article was approved by: George, Gracie, Molly, Squirt, and Sweetie