BEAUTIFUL BUT SAD. I have a feeling that a lot of you have heard
about Billy the cute little long-haired Chihuahua who was rescued
from a horrible N.Carolina puppy mill. I cannot understand why
these places of cruelty exist anymore- anywhere. I'm sorry to say
it just reflects on our own basic inability to do what is right.
You might say it is a matter of economics. Horrors - people of
compassion will never be able to accept this reasoning for the
unspeakable cruelty we inflict on these poor innocent dogs.
Given the name Billy by his rescuer, Billy touched thousands of
people's hearts when he appeared in a YouTube Video with his
rescuer and new caretaker- Adam Parascandola. He and other Humane
Society of the US workers had been sent to this N.Carolina puppy
mill on a tip that sub-standard care was being given these poor
dogs.
In N.Carolina, lawmakers have resisted any attempts to impose any
state-based humane breeding standards. It's too bad that they had
not been invited to witness this puppy mill first hand which revealed
the smelly, squalid conditions that so many innocent little chihuahuas
had been been forced to endure in their small cages of filth. The
dank, airless, and waste-filled atmosphere must have been overpowering
for the HSUS workers. Maybe they wore masks, but the poor dogs had to
breathe in this foul air -day in and day out for years.
When Adam Parascondola approached "Billy's" cage, he found it rusted
shut. Finding an instrument which would open the cage gate, Adam
pulled out this precious little chihuahua and placed him on his chest.
Wow, Billy must have thought - heaven at last, and I'm sure his little
tail began to wag.
What must Billy have thought too when taken outside? I feel sure that
he must have been overwhelmed with joy by experiencing the warm rays of
the sun and the first fresh air that he had ever breathed. At some
point, I know that Adam must have set him down, and again for the first
time, he would be able to smell the pure sweetness of the grass under
his feet- unless of course, the rescue was made in winter.
It was said by some one with deep insight- that were the animals to
draw a picture of their devil - it would be a picture of a man. It
makes sense to me. But for Billy, I feel sure he looked upon Adam
not as a devil but an angel to be sure.
Though adopted by Adam and enjoyed by his family for a time, Billy
could not overcome all the serius health issues he had suffered from
neglect in the puppy mill. It was an incredibly sad day for all of us
who were so happy for Billy to learn from the HSUS that Billy had
recently passed away. It seemed so unfair - now that his life was
filled with love and happiness that it would end so quickly. Yes, his
beautiful but sad life was over, but we are happy to have known Billy
even for such a short while. One day, Billy, when the world will be
restored, we will see you again - especially your best pal, Adam.
UGLY AND SAD.
In Defense of Animals notified us that on January 1st a beloved male elk
who had been a frequent visitor of the Mapleton Hill area of Boulder,
Colorado was shot dead by on-duty police officer, Sam Carter. I could not
help thinking this cop certainly is misusing a gun - to shoot a friendly
elk, and then to have the audacity to pose with him for a picture which
could have been captioned - "Look -Me Big Hunter." What a crock- to shoot
a tame and friendly elk. The neighbors must be devastated.
He then called fellow off-duty fellow officer, Brent Curnow, to come and
collect Big Boy for butchering.
Well, as you can imagine -this shooting was not going to go away. And
now the proud "hunter" gave two different versions why he killed Big Boy.
The first version had him doing a mercy killing- saying that the elk
appeared injured, and he was putting him out of his misery. Then he
told the investigators that Big Boy was aggressive, and that's why he had
to shoot him. Neighbors contradicted both of these allegations. They
had seen Big Boy on an almost daily basis, and some neighbors had even
seen him just hours before he was killed.
Per IDA, it is clear that Officer Carter acted recklessly, needlessly
firing a shotgun in a heavily populated residential area. He also did
not report the incident, and this is a violation of the law he is sworn
to uphold.
It also seems clear that Big Boy's killing violates Samson's Law which
had been passed after a similar incident in 1998 when a poacher killed
another beloved neighborhood elk. This law was meant to protect so-called
trophy animals from unscrupulous hunters. Anyone caught killing one of
these protected animals having six point antlers or larger can face a
fine up to $10,000 and other criminal penalties.
I certainly hope Big Boy will get his day in court. It's about time that
we recognized that animals have rights too. By all accounts, what that
officer did was certainly not even good sportsmanship -shooting an elk
which had been a friendly fixture in this neighborhood. Certainly,
what he did is ugly and sad.
Both officers have been placed on paid administrative leave until their
actions can be more fully investigated. The few comments I read at the
site felt that both officers violated the law and should be fired.
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