Thursday August 9, 2012
Puppy thrown into manhole: Monsters in our midst
WHEEL POWER by ANTHONY THANASAYAN
I WEPT when I read the horrible news last weekend. Many
animal-lovers were just as distraught. The news media reported that two
young foreign students threw a helpless puppy into a manhole before
running away. And they had a good chuckle over it. The heinous act was
caught on video by an accomplice who had no qualms about filming the
sorry episode. The incident, we were told, took place in Cyberjaya some
time in June.
The video went viral after it was uploaded to YouTube. I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. The photo stills on print were enough to give me an inkling of the kind of nightmare the puppy called Kanilla went through. I agonised over the fate of the pup. Instead of being treated to a game of catch in the park with the boys, Kanilla had no idea that she was bound on a one-way trip to hell.
Even now, the thought of it makes my blood curdle and my heart wants to scream and demand the same treatment for the perpetrators. But then again, no. For that would turn me into the very monster that the world does not want.
Dogs can be trained to provide companionship to those who need friendship and love.
To help me come to terms with Kanilla’s cruel fate, I try to focus on all the good that animals, especially dogs, have contributed to my life as a person born with a disability.
One of the first pets I had was good ol’ Brutus, a mongrel. Brutus came into my life shortly after I became unable to walk and was confined to the house because the school which I attended refused to build a wheelchair-friendly toilet.
Whilst the rest of my siblings were in school, it was Brutus who kept me company through all those lonely, boring days.
When I was 10, and started using the wheelchair, the canine became my confidante as I poured out my heart to him.
A few years later when I entered my teens, Cindy took over. She learnt to sit firmly on the footrest of my wheelchair as I wheeled around the neighbourhood. Cindy made me proud to be disabled.
Vai, a Rottweiler, came into my life when I was much older. He taught me to accept my disability and move on. Vai was able to get through to me where health professionals failed. As I learnt to attend to his needs, I started to look after myself just so I could stay out of hospital and be with him.
Reba, a Shetland sheepdog, is a real life-saver. She monitors my paralysed legs daily and zeroes in on any wounds that appear so that I can get them treated immediately.
Zhar, a Doberman, is now officially the new maid in my house. He picks up everything that I drop on the floor and passes it to me.
I know of numerous disabled Malaysians whose dogs have enhanced their quality of life. I know a quadriplegic whose Rottweiler gives him a reason to live after his motor accident.
There’s also another mongrel that helps an amputee stay positive at all times instead of sinking into depression.
And who can forget my friend, a mum of two disabled children, who says her Buster’s wagging tail and loving licks keep her motivated to help her children all day.
I have no doubt that if Kanilla were alive today, she (and others like her) could be trained to be special companions to people in need of friendship and love. I pray that her tormentors will get what they deserve from the authorities.
And for those of us who are outraged by what happened to Kanilla, let us keep her memory alive and remember that dogs are indeed man’s best friend. Their contributions to society must be respected and protected at all costs.
(For the full unabridged story, see Weekend View this Saturday on PET+BLOGSPOT)
The video went viral after it was uploaded to YouTube. I couldn’t bring myself to watch it. The photo stills on print were enough to give me an inkling of the kind of nightmare the puppy called Kanilla went through. I agonised over the fate of the pup. Instead of being treated to a game of catch in the park with the boys, Kanilla had no idea that she was bound on a one-way trip to hell.
Even now, the thought of it makes my blood curdle and my heart wants to scream and demand the same treatment for the perpetrators. But then again, no. For that would turn me into the very monster that the world does not want.
Dogs can be trained to provide companionship to those who need friendship and love. To help me come to terms with Kanilla’s cruel fate, I try to focus on all the good that animals, especially dogs, have contributed to my life as a person born with a disability.
One of the first pets I had was good ol’ Brutus, a mongrel. Brutus came into my life shortly after I became unable to walk and was confined to the house because the school which I attended refused to build a wheelchair-friendly toilet.
Whilst the rest of my siblings were in school, it was Brutus who kept me company through all those lonely, boring days.
When I was 10, and started using the wheelchair, the canine became my confidante as I poured out my heart to him.
A few years later when I entered my teens, Cindy took over. She learnt to sit firmly on the footrest of my wheelchair as I wheeled around the neighbourhood. Cindy made me proud to be disabled.
Vai, a Rottweiler, came into my life when I was much older. He taught me to accept my disability and move on. Vai was able to get through to me where health professionals failed. As I learnt to attend to his needs, I started to look after myself just so I could stay out of hospital and be with him.
Reba, a Shetland sheepdog, is a real life-saver. She monitors my paralysed legs daily and zeroes in on any wounds that appear so that I can get them treated immediately.
Zhar, a Doberman, is now officially the new maid in my house. He picks up everything that I drop on the floor and passes it to me.
I know of numerous disabled Malaysians whose dogs have enhanced their quality of life. I know a quadriplegic whose Rottweiler gives him a reason to live after his motor accident.
There’s also another mongrel that helps an amputee stay positive at all times instead of sinking into depression.
And who can forget my friend, a mum of two disabled children, who says her Buster’s wagging tail and loving licks keep her motivated to help her children all day.
I have no doubt that if Kanilla were alive today, she (and others like her) could be trained to be special companions to people in need of friendship and love. I pray that her tormentors will get what they deserve from the authorities.
And for those of us who are outraged by what happened to Kanilla, let us keep her memory alive and remember that dogs are indeed man’s best friend. Their contributions to society must be respected and protected at all costs.
(For the full unabridged story, see Weekend View this Saturday on PET+BLOGSPOT)
PET+BLOGSPOT is the ONLINE BLOG of the Malaysian Animal-Assisted Therapy for the Disabled and Elderly Association or Petpositive. Our stories are CURRENT, ACCURATE and RELIABLE. We offer both local and foreign news on animals, disability and the elderly. PET+BLOGSPOT was first established in October 2007. Our hits since then are now 150,000 and ever increasing! PET+BLOGSPOT is updated daily. Kindly note that views expressed in PET+BLOGSPOT are not necessarily those of PETPOSITIVE. You may also visit our Webpage by browsing: www.petpositive.com.my You can also find us in Facebook under PETPOSITIVE EMPOWERMENT. Please sign up as a FOLLOWER of this Blog if you haven't done so already in order to show us your kind support for our work. Thank you!
3 comments:
Kudos to the people who stepped up to make sure justice is served when it comes to animal cruelty issues in this country! But let's look at another recent case that's very interesting...
http://www.nst.com.my/mobile/streets/central/homeless-man-s-65-dogs-to-lose-shelter-1.122779
In the link above, the same animal groups and scores of people are reported to be going all out to help rescue the dogs before the authorities step in to capture and euthanize the animals.
This to me is very interesting because there is no mention about animal cruelty issues in this much publicized hoarding case! Can anyone tell me the reason? Animal Hoarding is also a form of animal cruelty isn't it?
"Animal hoarding, sometimes referred to as "collecting", continues to struggle with public misconceptions. Members of the community and even law enforcement often view hoarders to be "someone who meant well but the situation got out of hand," conjuring images of the sweet cat lady down the street.
While their intentions may indeed have been good, the reality of hoarding is far from sweet, and is often quite horrific. Hoarders often have hundreds of animals in their home, living in filth and without veterinary care. It is not uncommon to discover several hundred animals in various states of neglect at one location. It is also very common to find vast collections of other junk and garbage on the premises, as well as many layers of feces throughout the home."
Let's see which animal group will step up to the plate to highlight this issue shall we?
Rob White
Types of Hoarders
Overwhelmed caregivers initially are able to provide appropriate care for the animals. But events in their lives (i.e., loss of job, divorce, illness, death of family member) eventually take over causing them to be unable to handle the animals’ care and unable to figure out ways to correct the situation. They are often isolated individuals who have strong attachments to the animals as family members. They tend to minimize the problems in their homes rather than outright deny them. They are often open to assistance by others to help them solve the problems confronting them.
Rescue hoarders are on a mission to save animals, usually from euthanasia at a shelter or possible death at the hands of the animals’ owners. They believe they are the only ones who can care for the animal. They become compulsive about saving animals. They acquire animals actively rather than passively the way the overwhelmed caregiver usually obtains animals. The rescue hoarder often belongs to a network of those engaged in rescuing animals. They avoid contact with authorities.
Exploiter hoarders seek animals to serve personal needs. They are indifferent to the harm they cause the animals. They deny there is a problem, and they reject authority figures. They have a need for extreme control. Exploiter hoarders come across as articulate, charming people who are good at manipulating situations and people to get what they want. They tend to have sociopathic characteristics and/or personality disorders. They will lie, cheat, and steal to get what they want. They show no remorse for their actions.
“Perhaps the most prominent psychological feature of these individuals is that pets (and other possessions) become central to the hoarder's core identity," Patronek writes in Municipal Lawyer magazine. "The hoarder develops a strong need for control, and just the thought of losing an animal can produce an intense grief-like reaction. Preliminary HARC interviews also suggest that hoarders grew up in chaotic households, with inconsistent parenting, in which animals may have been the only stable feature."
Their mental illness often does not allow hoarders to see the situation they are in or that they are approaching anything nearing a crisis. They do not see the filth, smell the stench, or otherwise are aware of the animals in their care who are suffering and dying. They often do not know how many animals they actually have in their care. They do not see how their home has deteriorated or how infested it and the animals are with fleas and vermin.
Hoarders are like addicts. They need intervention to help them cope with their addiction. They will never be “cured” but they can be controlled. As yet, there is no diagnosis established in the diagnostic manual used by psychologists on hoarding.
Hi Petpositive! Rob White again.
And GUESS WHAT? In regards to the homeless man and his 65 dogs, this is what I read on the SPCA Selangor Facebook page....
"SPCA Selangor, Malaysia: Hi all, 2 years ago we helped him neuter more than 20 dogs after they were confiscated by the local council. We also helped find a good samaritan to agreed to take in all the dogs, and transported them there. We warned him not to take in anymore dogs , as he could not afford the time or money to care for the dogs at all - this is a typical case of animal hoarding. Unfortunately we are not able to help take in the dogs this time, but we will try to assist with food donations if there is another location willing to take them in."
As mentioned by the SPCA, this was not the first time that it happened. And in a span of 2 years, this so called "Samaritan" had managed to accumulate up to 75 new dogs. And what about the other dogs that died in his "care", judging from the pictures and videos posted all over the internet, the conditions at his "shelter."
"Call a spade, a spade." Stop all this hypocrisy, rescue the dogs by all means and send the man to a home!
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