There are some "truisms" we come across in life which stick
with us. One I remember from over 40 years ago is a saint's
remark "The longer I am among men, the less I am a man."
I wish that I could recall the saint's name, but I can't. However,
his words have never left me because I totally agree with them.
Here is an account of puppy cruelty which I read in Care2 today.
Emmanuel - what a beautiful name which means ''God with us,''
did not get this special name from his first "family." In fact, his
life began with people who, in my opinion, had no concept of love
and compassion at all. This poor puppy began life in Puerto
Rico on a volatile upper floor in an apartment complex.
All puppies are happy and exuberant, wanting to be fed as any
hungry baby, and expecting love and tenderness as any normal
little child does. But this family was bereft of any tenderness and
compassion, and the little puppy would soon whine from hunger
to no avail. He even tried jumping on these people to call attention
to his hunger, but they completely ignored him.
Then one day he was grabbed and carried into the closet where
there was a hole which went past the interior walls and led down
several flights to the very bottom of the building. They threw him
in this hole and it's a miracle that Emmanuel survived this fall.
Would it be his final resting place where he would die of starvation
and thirst?
If you think his "family" came down to check on him to see if he
was dead or alive, you would be wrong. For two weeks this puppy
yelped and cried for all he was worth --day and night, hoping to
signal some caring person that he needed help and rescue.
But even though some of the building's occupants said that they
thought they heard sounds coming from a cell phone ring-tone,
they couldn't be bothered to find the source of the sounds.
That is -all ignored the sounds except for an "angel" who heard
them and realized it was a puppy's sounds of distress. She then
went in search of animal activist Miriam Solainne. She found
her in a department store and then told her about the puppy.
This beautiful lady raced over to the building where she found
Emmanual and lifted his emaciated body to her chest. He was barely
conscious - dehydrated and completely covered in ant bites. Did
God ever intend that animals should go through hell -especially
from people who claim that they follow Him?
She worried that he may well die in her arms, but she knew she
had to try to help him. I wouldn't know what to do for poor Emmanuel,
but Miriam did. She fed him spoonfuls of Pedialyte and pancake
syrup to stabilize his sugars until the veterinarian clinic would
be opened the next day.
Miriam also knew that if Emmanuel had a chance, it would mean
a long stay in the hospital, and she didn't have the funds to pay
for it. But undeterred, she contacted Edi Vasquez who belonged
to All Sato Rescue, a volunteer humane group, who agreed to
help with the expenses for the month long stay at the hospital.
Soon the women were celebrating little victories as Emmanuel
began to gain strength. He began doing the things that normal
healthy puppies would. He now began life anew and was treated
lovingly by this new family. Hopefully, they would be able to
erase from his psyche the remembrance of his former family
from hell.
For Miriam and Edi there were more and more reasons to celebrate:
his first day without an IV, his first bowl of kibble, his first walk on
the grass. And not the least, were feelings that at last he was
experiencing his first moments of love and warmth from human
beings.
Miriam said she named him Emmanuel ".....because he had every
reason to die, but he fought for his life. Sometimes even when you
have nothing and life itself is all there is, it's worth the fight." How
lucky Emmanuel was to have finally come to his little life -not one
but three guardian angels who rescued him from a man-made hell.
The first one notified Miriam. Had she not, Miriam might have been
too late to help him. But happily, she was there in time to bring him
back from the brink of death. Then Edi and her rescue group absorbed
the hospital costs to make him well.
I couldn't help wondering about his first family and what kind of people
in Puerto Rico would do this? Was this an isolated case or is cruelty
pervasive here? But then I remembered that this island isn't alone in
having people of such cruelty. Sadly there are places of cruelty
everywhere.
It was not long before I remembered and recalled how Patrick whose
female owner in New Jersey starved him to death and then dumped
him in a laundry shoot in her apartment to die. But luckily, a person of
compassion found him and that led to saving his life.
I remember Vuchko of Serbia where brutal youths put a fire cracker
in his mouth -thereby destroying half of his snout. He had to be put
down.
I remember Star of Malta whose owner felt she was too old and no
longer wanted her. So he shot her head with pellets from a bee bee
gun and then buried her in a shallow grave while still alive. Even
though someone heard her whimpering and rescued her, she
would not live long after that traumatic event in her life from some
one who should have been her protector - not her executioner.
Always I ask myself - what kind of people do such horrific things to
such beautiful innocent dogs who only want to love and be loved? Do
they believe in God? Do they go to church, synogogue, or mosque?
I am only pretty sure of one thing - none of them were probably
Buddhists, because of all the religions in the world, the Buddhists
are taught to respect ALL life including animal life. God bless them.
When are the other religions of the world going to catch up to them?
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