Shun the strays or feed the hungry?

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
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:
 

bigboytex

New Member
u are a sap......but i agree with u in this case (expecialy after seeing your neighbors dogs) But there are times when you have to just walk a way and say I cant it aint fun but sometimes it has to be done. But also there are time when the shelters can not hold anymore dogs and the people responsible wont help out ether and you have to do something. But im kinda a sap to and in most cases id have to say feed.
 

daniii

New Member
I would feed them. Some weeks ago a stray lab followed me all the way to the vet and back (had to take my dog to have some tests done). When I got home I fed him with my own dog's bowl. Of course, Khali wanted to kill me after that.Whenever I go on a trip and we stop at a gas station, there are always stray dogs, which i always try to give someting to eat.

So yes, I would feed (if I have something to give them, that is)
 

mopar53190

Well-Known Member
I do not have a problem with stray dogs in my area. I do have a problem with stray cats however. I do not feed the cats because they dig thru my trash and make a mess, I figure they will keep rodents away so I don't object the idea of them being on my property, and they will not come up to me to feed them and check their health. I do keep a close eye on their weight and the appear to be healthy by their weight. I'm sure they have fleas at the very least. I have in the past taken in stray dogs and found their owner or found a home for them on a farm. I could never take in someones dog as my own knowing that they belong to someone that loves them. tx cowgirl you must be an amazing person to tolerate your neighbors. I do not know if I could. What you do for them is a very nice gesture and I do not see anything wrong with watching out for them since their owner is not. kudos!
 

leema

New Member
I'd feed a stray dog before getting someone (e.g. council) to pick it up or taking it to the shelter myself. I can not stand roaming animals, and if someone wants their animal, they can pick it up from the shelter (where it will be fed until they do) or let the shelter has its way with it.

I don't have anything against feeding dogs, but everything allowing animals to roam.
 

CollieMan

Experienced Member
I don't think that I would feed a stray, at least not on a regular basis. But then, thinking about it, I probably wouldn't even do it once, as the next day, when the dog came along, expecting the same thing to happen again, I'd feel twice as bad for not feeding it again. So, no, I wouldn't. If you do it for one, you have to do it for all, and that could just get silly.

I would report the stray to the correct authorities and feel content that I've done my thing.

On the plus side, I don't think I've seen a stray dog in my entire life, and so, for me at least, it's not really an issue.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
I definitely see your point, CollieMan. I don't really give myself the option of "feeling bad." Financially I can only do so much, and they don't always come around when I'm home. If I see them, I usually feed them, and any meal they can get counts. Unfortunately the "correct authorities" in my area are virtually useless and poor examples of upholding the responsibilities their careers demand.
 

bigboytex

New Member
tx_cowgirl;2168 said:
Haha, nice sig Bigboytex. xDDD Nice to see you do listen to me.
Ya well the times are few and far between but at least some of what u say is useful (just some) lol

I agree with collie man 2 I just have to feed them sometimes
 

l_l_a

New Member
You are certainly to be commended for going above and beyond for your neighbor's dogs, Tx_Cowgirl. I hope your neighbor at least appreciates it and is not taking advantage of your kindness!

I would feed a stray. When I was a kid there were stray dogs in my neighborhood and my parents and I would feed them. Our neighbor next door would feed stray cats. There were a lot more stray cats than there were stray dogs in the neighborhood where I grew up, so whereas our neighbor's house was overrun with stray cats - some of whom would come into our garden and bully our little dachsund - we only rarely had occasion to feed stray dogs. I think too that stray dogs are easier for the authorities to catch and take to the shelter since they can't climb up trees!

Once - again when I was a kid - someone left a cardboard box full of kittens on our doorstep. Our cat-feeding neighbor wasn't home so we took the box to my aunt's house and she cared for them overnight and next day I think she brought them to a shelter.
 

tx_cowgirl

Honored Member
Staff member
Yeah, I'm pretty much a sap for all animals. ^^ Once I was driving along and nearly ran over a turtle(unbelievably uncommon for my area) and I went on home telling myself, "Just a turtle...just a turtle...I'm sure he got across the street." And only a little while later I went back feeling guilty, and he had been run over. I felt awful. I had planned on taking it to my uncle, who has always had a wide variety of wierd animals(scorpians, turtles, snakes of all kinds, the list goes on). I felt so bad for the poor guy. Another stray showed up today that I've never seen....looked like some kind of Aussie/Border Collie/who knows what mix, but it was in the dark so I'm not sure. She was really sweet and very cute, but I made myself ignore her despite the fact that she was giving me the puppy-dog eyes and begging for attention. Lol. I don't know that my neighbors are aware of the fact that I care for their dogs. They practically live inside. They rarely ever come outdoors...so they probably assume that the dogs just find food wherever they can. They don't always come while I'm home, so unfortunately they aren't on a regular diet. If they were they'd look and feel a million times better. Most cats around here find homes, except one of them, who "belongs" to the same neighbors. She's kind of adopted me and more or less lives at my place. I feed her every time she comes over, and she meets me at my truck as soon as I get home every day with a welcoming meow. I'm not exactly what I'd call a cat person, but I don't mind her sticking around. :doghappy: Stray dogs are bad in my area. Since we live in the country, a lot of people just come close by and ditch their dogs for whatever reason. Unfortunately they seem to gravitate towards my neighbors' house, which they of couse end up either dying or being taken care of by me. :dogdry:
 

bigboytex

New Member
wow a turtle ok umm....dont really know what to say to that I have a couple good stories though. Ya Im glad i live in a small town we dont get very many starys at all/
 
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