I am basically a cat; without a tail, but with halfway decent manners.
Dogs
Them And Me
Tell Me Again…
This Shouldn’t Have Happened
Saturday evening was…eventful. And by ‘eventful’, I will say it involved my neighbor’s new dog (who she cannot control, keep on its leash, etc.), a neighbor down the street’s daughter, and the cops. In front of my house. I thought it was going to result in World War III based solely on the level of hostility and yelling that occurred before the police arrived.
The dog, heretofore to be referred to by her name, has been getting loose. I can’t say that I blame her. That woman can’t take care of herself, leave alone a dog!
Friday evening she got loose and was running through my yard trying to kill small animals. It took my idiot neighbor and her husband over 20 minutes as she sped through my yard, the yard next door to mine on the other side, and then proceeded across the street into two additional yards before they were finally able to get her back on her leash. Interestingly enough, no one called Animal Control. (I’m being facetious.)
Saturday night was an entirely different story. Maggie got loose for the umpteenth time and tore down the street where she bit another neighbor’s daughter before they were able to catch up with her. Instead of handling the situation like adults over 50, they left the child behind with a dog bite because to them, it was “no big deal”. UN-FUCKING-BELIEVABLE.
The father got in his truck and sped down the street, parking across the street from my house. Maggie was now on her leash being “walked” as if she’s well-behaved when the father got out and screamed at my utterly insane next door neighbor “Is that YOUR dog?!” Arguing ensued over his child’s welfare and she had the nerve to tell him it was “Just a scratch and NO BIG DEAL.” Additional words were said, she was blowing the entire situation off, and he flipped out and said “I’m calling the cops.” and proceeded to wait with a few of his younger children. That’s when other people started gathering. Welcome to the nosey neighbor society.
The father was furious, as undoubtedly any of us would be. When the police arrived (apparently the township is low-budget, they sent one officer, not two.), she immediately turns on her lying voice. I know it because I’ve lived here since before she moved in and I’ve heard her use it many times. She is one of the fakest people I have ever met. I knew she was lying before she even opened her mouth, but the priceless part was her waddling across the street to the police officer with her cell phone recording everything. Really? What is she going to use that for? YouTube? Was she expecting to be arrested? It was ludicrous, but I cannot do it justice because I was dying from the stupidity of it all.
The father had a very valid point; he wanted to make sure that Maggie was fully vaccinated and that his daughter did not need a rabies shot at the Emergency Room. He asked to see her papers (I can say that even my cats have these little rabies disks with their paperwork that prove they’ve been vaccinated) and she had NOTHING to produce, except a phone number for where Maggie had apparently been “fully vetted” (her words, not mine). Instead of the officer writing her a ticket, which I KNOW they LOVE to do, or fining her, which SHOULD have been done on the fucking spot, he simply says he will follow-up with the shelter and leaves. He didn’t even look at the bite wound or the dog, which I find utterly mind-blowing.
This was a child and I cannot abide by an animal tearing down the street and biting anyone. It’s unacceptable. Her father wouldn’t have lost it if it were truly “just a scratch” or if the situation had been properly handled as in, “Let’s call 911 and get someone to check you out, sweetie.” As a precaution. That’s the right thing to do. It’s the responsible thing to do. One of our neighbors is a vet, she could have looked at the bite and determined whether or not it didn’t look right or if it would be okay with at-home first aid.
Second, this is also a dog’s life. She’ll be a great dog for someone, but not them. The dog is as innocent as the child, but it is in the custody of the wrong people. In turn, I am personally going to wait to see if she gets loose again. If she does, I am going down to the police station myself and filing a report because they are the last people in the world that should be caring for a pet. They scream at her all the time, which explains why she runs from them and bolts for the gate the second their backs are turned, and neither of them is home to give her the attention she needs. None of the other dogs in this neighborhood are barking their heads off at three a.m., but she is and I often wonder if they’re putting her outside at night. The thought hurts my heart. It’s only been the last few days or so where I’ve seen her being taken for walks, before that, she was only allowed in the backyard where she’d incessantly be yelled at “No Maggie, NO!” every other second or where she’d follow them around like a really unintelligent animal. I suspect the walks, where she physically pulls her “owner” (and I use that terms so loosely, it’s not even funny) down the street, is because neither of them want to scoop dog poop off their sainted yard. Some people TRULY shouldn’t own animals because they have no idea how much responsibility it entails.
For many years I wanted a dog, but I had a moment where I sat down and saw how much work it would be and I made the decision to let that dog go to a family that would be able to give it more than I ever could. Maybe not in love, but in the day-to-day physical stuff that I simply cannot do any more. I could never give a dog a full life by confining it to a yard, not being able to walk it or take it to the dog park, etc. It would have been selfish and I’m many things, but selfish isn’t one of them.
So yeah, that was Saturday night. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.
copyright © 2015 by Lisa Marino & Blackbird Serenity LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
Unfancy
There is no nice way to say “I feel like shit.” I thought about it and decided I wasn’t going to attempt to gloss it over. That’s like buying heavily scented cat litter with the idea in mind that roses will make it all better. Unfortunately, no matter what you do, shit is still shit. Be it a feeling or an odor. (Okay, that was graphic. I apologize.)
I realized a few hours ago that with Father’s Day approaching this Sunday, it’s probably not doing a whole hell of a lot for my mood. My father passed away almost eight years ago after battling various forms of cancer for fifteen years. I always knew he’d die young, I simply never knew that it would have such an impact on me.
Finding a dead bird in my yard the other day didn’t do much to curb this gnawing feeling. I contacted the local authorities and by the time they got back to me, the bird was gone. Was it stunned? I don’t think so. It’s not often I find a bird face down anywhere, leave alone my back yard. It made me really sad. It wasn’t breathing, so I’m certain it wasn’t a magical vampire bird that was simply taking a nap.
For the past couple of years I’ve had a regular cat visitor (a big, black cat that I tried to take in myself when he was just a kitten roaming my yard) and while he appears to be well cared for, he’s a menace when it comes to other animals. I’ve yelled at this cat a few times to stop chasing cats and kittens all over the neighborhood, but as I said, he’s a menace. When he’s not peeing on my trees or the fence, he’s usually chasing the few stray or outdoor cats he is able to find on his daily jaunts.
The bird thing bothers me for a number of reasons. One, I have neighbors that shoot bunnies in their yard because they think it’s an acceptable way of “ridding themselves of pests”. They’re looking for food, they don’t know you’re an animal-hating asshole. Two, my brother neglected to tell me that he found a dead squirrel about a week ago when he was spraying for weeds. When I inquired as to why he didn’t tell me as soon as he found it, he said “I didn’t think you needed to know.” I didn’t know I needed coddling. Had I known it was there, I would have called animal control to make sure it was safe to remove it. If I wouldn’t leave a person there, I certainly wouldn’t leave an animal out like that either!
When I did call animal control yesterday to ask if the cat could be trapped, neutered, and released the woman I spoke to actually told me this: Are you ready cat lovers/owners? “All cats are feral.” Excuse me, you crazy bitch?! “It’s the circle of life and all that. Dogs are the only domestic animals in this world.” No, they’re NOT. Besides, I didn’t say I had a tiger in my back yard, you nut job!
While I can easily say that nine times out of ten, it’s the owner and not the dog, I don’t meet a lot of civilized, well-socialized dogs. Some, but not every single one. Family dogs tend to be better and those that receive a boatload of love and attention aren’t OCD about jumping on me, biting, or being aggressive. If a dog can listen to basic training commands, it’s probably not going to come flying down the street in an attempt to jump me. A lot of rescue dogs are traumatized in some way from previous life experience and are in fight or flight mode upon meeting new people, especially if their owners haven’t sought out training or done the training themselves. Dogs require a lot of work, but they’re not the only domesticated animal on this planet.
I’ve had cats my entire life, none of them have ever been feral. For this chick to actually state that as if it’s fact is ignorant as hell. Yes, cats are predators. That’s an actual fact, but I see my almost two year old cat and how completely uninterested she is in “the great outdoors”. You can open a door and she’s not running out into the heat or cold. She sits at the glass doors to the patio and watches the birds, bunnies, squirrels, etc., but she’s more bothered by flying insects than anything else. You should see how she reacts to a bee. Yeah, real feral.
Kitten is still a baby, so everything requires a vocalization and a physical reaction to the presence of other animals. If she comes across something, she will swat at it, she’ll cover it with her paws, but she’s not “going in for the kill”. She’ll certainly let me know something does not belong here and that I need to come and assist her, but she’s not vicious about it. Using the world “feral” to describe every single cat is irresponsible. It’s the kind of idiotic comment one can expect from the inhumane society, who are far more interested in killing for their paychecks then they are in rescuing and adopting an animal out to a good home.
I called a no-kill shelter and explained the situation to them. They don’t have enough manpower to come out and get this cat, so they referred me to another organization that can trap him, get him fully vetted and screened for any potential health issues, and then decide if he can be properly socialized and adopted out to someone. He doesn’t have a collar or a tag, but he’s a purebred cat. I’ve seen him since he was just a few months old, rolling around in my back yard and meowing for attention, but utterly fearless in how he’d watch me for hours. He doesn’t deserve to be put to sleep for being outside utilizing his predatory instincts, but if he’s without a microchip to let the rescue know who he belongs to, then he deserves a good home. If he’s going to be an outdoor cat, it’s safer for him to live with someone who is okay with that and will watch out for him.
It’s highly possible he didn’t kill either animal. However, it’s the most likely conclusion based on previous behavior. I’d rather find out who he belongs to or get him into a situation where he can be in a good home, as opposed to the alternatives. I’d hate for him to get hurt for any reason and I’d hate for anyone with a pulse to harm him, so all I can do is hope that the no-kill rescue gets back to me and that we can set up a trap. It’s way too hot for animals to be outside anyway, and with the expectation of a brutally hot summer, I’d feel better knowing that he’s safe indoors somewhere.
End of bizarre “crazy cat lady” rant.
Have a wonderful start to the weekend everyone!
XO…L
copyright © 2015 by Lisa Marino & Blackbird Serenity LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
The Animal Shall Not…
“The animal shall not be measured by man. In a world older and more complete than ours, they move finished and complete, gifted with extension of the senses we have lost or never attained, living by voices we shall never hear. They are not brethren; they are not underlings; they are other nations, caught with ourselves in the net of life and time, fellow prisoners of the splendor and travail of the earth.” — Henry Beston
An excellent quote, and a perfect way to announce that there is a new member of my family! The tiny little monkey arrived last night and has since taken over the entire top half of the house. And by tiny, I mean she’s not much bigger than my Kindle Fire.
Written by LISA MARINO-Molchanova 