The world is full of stray dogs or dogs with negligent owners who really could care less about their pets. If you watch any of the Animal Cops shows on Animal Planet, I'm sure you know that many of the pets featured are neglected and malnourished. In many places, there are no animal cop units. Most towns have animal shelters, and animal control, but they aren't always willing to go pick up an animal--especially if you live outside of the city limits. No-kill shelters are often overrun and simply cannot afford to take in any more animals. The result is that strays roam freely all over cities across the world, scrounging for food wherever they can find it. The lucky ones get "adopted" by someone in the neighborhood or by the whole neighborhood. The unfortunate ones fight for food, get run over, become target practice, die of starvation or disease, or a fall victim to a wide variety of other cruelties. So my question to you is: if you saw a malnourished dog, collar or not, would you feed it? Many people see severely underweight dogs and feel sorry for them, but think, "Oh, someone else will feed it..." The sad truth is that most of the people who see these dogs think the exact same thing. So when will the "someone else" come along to care for the dog? What if no one does?
I can honestly say without a doubt that I would feed the dog. I have been in this situation MANY times, and didn't hesitate to give the dog at least one meal. A perfect example is my neighbors. They have way too many dogs, all of them in horrible condition. I can't find a shelter in my area to take them, anyone I know or friends of friends of friends to take them in, and the neighbors have been confronted too many times. They don't care. The two worst dogs are a small female lab/pit mix with mange. She is underweight and I feed her just about every time she comes over. The very worst is a pit bull who apparently had puppies not very long ago. I can count her ribs and her vertebrae with ease, even from a distance. Both of these dogs are sweethearts considering the circumstances, although they are timid. Every time they come over I feed them. Of course, I have to limit myself because with fifteen animals of my own I am financially not able to take them in. I used my own wormer for the lab/pit mix, and I have only recently started feeding the female and will not worm her just yet. I assume that the puppies have died, probably in part because the mother most likely cannot produce enough milk for them. I have never seen these puppies but it is clear that she has had some recently. The last of their dogs that I was feeding was a mother terrier/shepherd/? mix with five puppies. I found a shelter that would take them, loaded them up and took them away. All were severely underweight, and covered in ticks. All of them would have died had I not taken them away. One of their cats has basically become mine. She more or less lives at my house, and I feed her as often as I can. I refuse to stand by and watch these animals die. This is not the first time that I have fed dogs in my area...and certainly won't be the last. I'm a sap. So sue me. :doghappy:
I can honestly say without a doubt that I would feed the dog. I have been in this situation MANY times, and didn't hesitate to give the dog at least one meal. A perfect example is my neighbors. They have way too many dogs, all of them in horrible condition. I can't find a shelter in my area to take them, anyone I know or friends of friends of friends to take them in, and the neighbors have been confronted too many times. They don't care. The two worst dogs are a small female lab/pit mix with mange. She is underweight and I feed her just about every time she comes over. The very worst is a pit bull who apparently had puppies not very long ago. I can count her ribs and her vertebrae with ease, even from a distance. Both of these dogs are sweethearts considering the circumstances, although they are timid. Every time they come over I feed them. Of course, I have to limit myself because with fifteen animals of my own I am financially not able to take them in. I used my own wormer for the lab/pit mix, and I have only recently started feeding the female and will not worm her just yet. I assume that the puppies have died, probably in part because the mother most likely cannot produce enough milk for them. I have never seen these puppies but it is clear that she has had some recently. The last of their dogs that I was feeding was a mother terrier/shepherd/? mix with five puppies. I found a shelter that would take them, loaded them up and took them away. All were severely underweight, and covered in ticks. All of them would have died had I not taken them away. One of their cats has basically become mine. She more or less lives at my house, and I feed her as often as I can. I refuse to stand by and watch these animals die. This is not the first time that I have fed dogs in my area...and certainly won't be the last. I'm a sap. So sue me. :doghappy:
