NotThatBad

Here's some artwork that came to me, in a nightmare.

Or, the reverse of rescue.


You know, if an animal is used to certain conditions, the animal can become completely unhinged by any change in those conditions, even if they are better for the animal.
Take a puppy mill dog. An animal that has never felt grass, or the sun, or fresh air, all of it's life. An animal that has never been socialized to people. An animal kept locked in a basement.

Take that animal out into the light and love of day, and BaM. Psychological meltdown occurs, until the animal finally gets over/forgets his initial life. I remember a Cesar Milan episode, where a woman had rescued a hound from a research lab. The animal was petrified by everything, and it took a very, very long time for the animal to let that past go.

Cesar says animals live in the moment, and I believe that to be true. If you turn their "normal" worlds upside down, it will take great training/compassion/patience/empathy, to bring that animal around. They have many moments they must forget, too.

My fictional horse has had his world turned upside down, in a reverse of rescue. From a long life of good food, good care, grooming/handling, riding, turn-out, cleanliness, other horses companionship, black-smithing, etc., he has become a neglected, filthy, skinny, utterly lonely horse. He patiently takes it, like the perfect gentleman that he is.

His BCS score right now? Probably a three, maybe three and a half. He's gained some weight back, as I said. I'd call his condition as of July 8 at about a 2.5.
But I am overly emotional, as we all know. Prone to fiction, not fact. Maybe those ribs are supposed to be there. Maybe it's just a "different" look now, for this horse. Maybe he's okay.

Truly amazing what food will do. And what it won't do, when you don't feed it.

Losing muscle tone is to be expected, of course, when the animal gets no exercise.


Evil thoughts about rescue..
OH, and here's an evil thought I had. I think we should abolish all animal shelters, and euth all of the animals still awaiting homes.

Then, any further animals not wanted anymore, will have truly no place to go.
Do you think that would stop the downpour?
It could stop the people who think "Oh, I'll just take old Fluffy to the shelter, now that I'm tired of her". These people would have to actually take responsibility for their actions with their own animals. Daughter is suddenly allergic? Your problem, not mine.

It would force people like me to keep a stray, or to take care of it's future, myself. I've taken two cats to the shelter, and cried my eyes out both times. If there wasn't a shelter, I'd have had to have kept them, or euthed them, myself.

Just some food for thought, of course, I'm not entirely serious. Private rescues, fine. But no more publicly funded services. Obviously, they are doing such a crappy job, they cannot be trusted. Let's do away with them entirely!

Want to get rid of your dog? Tell your kid the truth about what happens! Dog was killed, because we didn't want him anymore!

This evil thought occurred to me, as I read an OSPCA disliker's comment on facebook. He said "The OSPCA should be caring for our animals properly".
OUR animals?? Last I looked, my animals were living the perfect doggie life.

The OSPCA's animals are not "ours". They are very often owned by people who couldn't care less what happens to them next.
No, not always. But I worked at a shelter. That was the case, most of the time.