Pet Talk

By Cathy Davis
    As I write this there is a blizzard raging outside. I’m inside, warm and cozy, heater going, music playing, the sound of the wind howling outdoors. My critters are cozy too, tucked away in their favorite places, Scruffy on the windowsill, patiently waiting for me to come home from work, Holly in a big box filled with paper where she just loves to nest so much I don’t have the heart to throw the box away. Boo is curled up on the pillow in the spare bedroom, Ellie is asleep on the tree skirt under the tree. I don’t have to even be in the house to know this, because I know my animals.
    I also know that there are many animals that are not as fortunate as yours or mine, they are tied out right now, many without shelter other than a car to crawl under (if that) or maybe a porch. Even though the law requires a dog house, many dogs don’t have houses. And those that do, well, the houses leave much to be desired. There are always exceptions, the insulated homes with the heated water bowl so Rover always has warmth and fresh water, but still I’m not so sure that being tied to a dog house during a storm is where I’d want to be if I was a dog.
    It’s easy to personalize things, it’s easy to believe that dogs “think” and “feel” just like we do. You look at those sad eyes and you can’t help but just know that they are begging you with all their soul to bring them in and cuddle with them. You watch them sleep, and dream, and observe their little paws just running as they dream of chasing butterflies or squirrels and you know that there’s something going on inside those minds.
    They say fish have a memory, it’s five seconds or something like that, but it’s memory. We know dogs have memory because they remember being mistreated and abused and carry that trauma with them for a lifetime. They remember love and tenderness, they remember training routines, they remember family faces and smells.
    Animals have feelings too, you can just see it. A dog can feel sad when he’s left alone all day, or he can feel resentful. You know the difference when you get home. A resentful dog will have emptied your trash can and chewed your best shoes, a sad dog will have slept all day and then when you come home he goes nuts jumping all over you.
    You’re probably wondering what my point is. I’m not sure I have one. Today I’m just feeling bad for the animals that are outdoors, because I know in my heart that they are outside feeling sad and cold and maybe even scared.
    I am so very glad that I’m involved in an organization that helps these animals, that is there for the dog that just happened to get loose from his chain and is wandering in the storm, that is there for the cat that is frozen in the snow bank and rescued. I am glad that we can give them warmth, shelter, food, medical treatment, take care of them until their owners come looking for them, and if they don’t, find them new homes.
    On days like today when it’s cold and blustery and snow is coming down sideways and cars are doing donuts in the road, I am glad that we are there for the animals who need us, and I hope we will always be there.
    And I am grateful for the staff and volunteers who literally risk their lives to be at the shelter in the morning, every morning, to make sure that those animals who are in our care are receiving the very best of care. Many of us could call in on a day like day and say “I won’t be there” and the world won’t come to an end. But at the animal shelter, the animals have to be fed, they have to have water, they have to have their meds if they’re on meds, the dogs have to be walked because so many of them are already housebroken and they won’t go inside their cages, they’ll hold it till they can’t hold it any more, and that’s just not healthy, so we make sure that they are walked several times a day. Shelter workers have to be there, rain or shine, blizzard or heat wave, the animals depend on them.
    And I am grateful to Bob, who I’m sure was at the Shelter at 5 this morning, plowing so the staff could get in. I don’t know what we would do without Bob, it’s a big job and it’s a vital job.
    I hope that all the dogs are warm and protected this day, during this storm, and every day in all weather, in all conditions.
    Wishing you a Happy New Year and hoping that for you, this year will bring an opportunity for a new beginning, for a healing of all your hurts, for the answers to all your prayers, for the fulfillment of all your dreams. At Houlton Humane Society, every day is a new beginning, every week is a new challenge, just staying in business is an answer to a prayer. We are grateful for all that has been given and all that will come and we will continue to strive to do our very best to justify your faith in this organization and our people. One day at a time, saving one animal at a time. Happy New Year.