Summer Effects On Animals
Summer months are here. It's time for animal welfare advocates to be extra vigilant. This is when dogs come in heat, cases of dog bites go up and people become more cruel than usual.
Here's how you can help.
1. Mobilise resources to vaccinate and sterilise the dogs in your neighbourhood.
2. Run community based education programs on how to avoid dog bites. We have leaflets.
3. Don't go out of your way to feed dogs. This seems counterintuitive but the majority of the recent man-dog conflicts arose from this (more on this below.). Instead, put out water bowls if you can.
4. Round up a group of friends and pay a visit to your local ward councillor. Befriend them if you can. Have them on your side. These councillors hear complaints against dogs ALL THE TIME. They need to know that there is an equal number of people within his/her constituency who feel differently.
5. Do not pick up puppies from the street unless you can personally care for them. Just don't.
Why isn't it a good idea to feed street dogs?
Let's say a certain area has 100 dogs. These dogs are dispersed throughout the area and are surviving pretty well by scavenging. Because they are dispersed, they are also pretty much invisible to the community/safer in their natural habitat. Now a girl with a fluffy dog at home decides to do something good for these innocent, fluffy dogs. So she goes out and buys some 10 kilo chicken, 50 kilo rice, and makes a nice hearty meal for the unfluffies. She feeds 5 dogs the first day, 10 on the second, and before you know it, the word gets out and these clever unfluffies stop scavenging and just gather (and fight) in front of the bleeding heart's house everyday for food. All of a sudden, there are "too many dogs' ' in the neighbourhood, children are scared, religious sentiments are hurt and it's all because of that one animal lover ih the neighbourhood.
You get the picture..
Lay low. Let the dogs lay low. Unless there is a dog in need of real help, don't interfere, don't get involved. These dogs are part of our ecosystem. They know how to survive and they have been doing it pretty well. Don't underestimate them. Animal Welfare is not about what makes *us* I feel good. It's about what's good for the animals. Prevent and resist cruelty against dogs, but don't unintentionally become the cause of it.
Thank you!