Last night I saw 2 adolescent dogs - still considered puppies in my books! – at the Anse A La Mouche bus stop. They had half a pack of plain bread next to them and one was limping. They were both skinny as heck. I only had a pack of biscuits in my bag. I placed whatever I had on the ground next to them and they started growling at each other for the food. It was such a sad sight to see and it was heart-wrenching.
It’s interesting that many unwanted animals here in Seychelles are dumped at bus stops. My guess is that it’s the owner’s attempt to showcase these animals to people who have a few minutes to spare while waiting for the bus. Some people also wait for private transportation at bus stops and for others it’s a meeting spot. For these likely reasons, these animals are abandoned in such a place. What owners don’t realize however, is that they are placing these young pets right next to the dangers of passing vehicles. These cats and dogs don’t know how to steer clear from the danger and their lives are at risk unless they figure it out for themselves. Is it fair? It’s like placing a 5 year old kid at a bus stop on their own. Only if they’re lucky will they survive.
The darker one reminds me of my dog Kay. In fact, this whole incident takes me back well over 10 years ago when I was still in my teens and my mother forced me to give Kay away. I had no choice. She told me she’d give Kay a good home. But a few months later, that same lady that took her in decided to do what the owners of these 2 dogs did: she abandoned my puppy. When I was a lot younger, I had absolutely no say in anything. I wasn’t paying the bills, I was a complete dependent. So the only thing I could do was sulk in my room. I think it’s sad and inhumane for parents to take away a child’s pet. You don’t know how much that hurts. If you knew how much that hurt, you wouldn’t do it. Do not give a pet to a child, only to take it away after they’ve bonded.
These 2 dogs are now strays. They’ll probably die being run over by a vehicle. Some stray animals are lucky. They get picked up by caring people.
I remember 10 years ago my sister and I picked up a pair of kittens at a Beau Vallon bus stop. They were probably about 2-3 weeks old and very skinny. I actually thought they were dead. They were both curled up together and were sleeping right on the pavement – they could have been stepped on! They were named Blitz and Munch. Munch almost choked on a chunk of tuna because she was just gobbling up the food. Eventually they disappeared but up until today we still have Printz who is almost 9 years old. I don’t know what we’d do without her, she’s a blessing in our home and is very much a part of this family.
Another ‘stray’ was our dog Michael. He was a really funny dog. He was a mongrel, and a very tiny dog but very ‘good looking’. He was the pride and joy of our home. He was just walking around in our neighbourhood one day, found our house and decided to stay forever. Several years later he got into a fight with our neighbour’s German Shepherds and they killed him. It was mating season. Back then, due to lack of experience with animals, we didn’t neuter him. He wouldn’t have got into that fight had he been neutered.
Anyway, that’s my personal story and experience with once-strayed animals. Animals are like children in many ways; dependent, caring, such a blessing to have, and they come with individual personalities that makes each and every one of them unique. For whichever reason you cannot or no longer want to take care of your pet, try your best to find it a home.
The following is the Facebook link for the Seychelles Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SSPCA):
http://www.facebook.com/groups/5785709615
This FB group consists of members who are all animal lovers. If you want to find your pet(s) a new home, post the details there and it’s your best bet of achieving that.
