KEEPER: An Open Letter to People Who Abandon Unwanted Pets
I saw what you did
that Wednesday morning, right before the Independence holiday--guess you were
going out of town and thought you would do the deed as one last "preparation" to
free yourself for your weekend. You were driving a late-model red automobile: I
saw you stop, saw the door open, saw the dog put out. And I saw you drive off;
she watched you, too. I was running late to work; but I couldn't pass the sable
and white Sheltie you had left behind. Gradually, I won her trust and got her
into my car: at least I could do that for her, rather than see her hit by the
cars you didn't seem to care about. Someone in her family had had her clipped
for the hot spots on her back, and had placed a red collar around her neck,
though her tags were left behind or discarded so she could not be traced. As I
discovered during the two weeks I kept her, someone had also fed her well,
taught her to play ball, shake hands, stay off the furniture; someone had even
taught her a little obedience, and she was housetrained--a lady through and
through. She was very grateful to me, giving me lots of kisses; but I saw the
faraway look in her eyes, watched her pace, sometimes spinning the sheltie-spin
in her agitation and confusion. She missed whoever had taken care of her; so,
hoping I had been wrong about what I saw that morning, I tried from the first
day to find her owner. I put up signs; I called vets, shelters, rescue
agencies, sheltie clubs; posted her on the Internet web sites. You must have
seen the signs, but you never called.
What did you think would happen to her when you dumped her? What chance did you
think she had where you abandoned her? There was no shelter, no water, no
food--only the hot Texas sun and speeding cars. If you didn't want her any
longer, why didn't you try to find her a home? Failing that, why didn't you do
a little research to find a rescue group? Why didn’t you drive her to a
shelter? Why didn't you at least give her a chance to be adopted, rather than
dump her where she could have been killed? She didn't deserve that.
Fortunately for Keeper,
there are individuals and rescue groups who daily pull dogs and cats from
roadways and try to help them so they don’t die in front of a speeding car or
from hunger and thirst. I named your dog “Keeper” because she is a
keeper, not a throw-away. She stayed with me until I was able to network with
other rescuers and move her on to another foster home and eventual adoptive
home. She was very lucky and blessed her delighted new home with a full and
grateful heart. You, however, must live with your cold heart and the effects all
your life from what you did to this little girl who trusted you.
© 1999 Joan Samuelson
Houston Sheltie Sanctuary
Published originally in the Kingwood Observer as an open letter.