We Need To Talk About The Animals
A Crisis of Epidemic Proportions
I write this with a heavy heart as my body heaves and lets out an exasperated sigh.
We need to talk about the animals.
We are in a crisis of epidemic proportions, where neglect, abuse and suffering is at an all-time high, yet awareness is at an all-time low.
This situation is not specific to just South Africa, indeed, many countries around the world are experiencing the same thing.
Between the rapid rate at which animals are multiplying, irresponsible "owners" and those who neglect and abuse, our animals are suffering.
Left To Die
I am not a rescuer, I am a regular person like anyone else, although possibly not as I refuse to turn a blind eye and I stretch myself to a capacity beyond what I knew was possible.
I have had to become a rescuer because of the extreme need that I have witnessed, that I simply cannot turn away from, and as a result, I share both my heart and my home with many little souls in need.
A stray dog all alone in a motorway service station, soaking wet, covered in fleas and ticks, confused and scared, a dog by the side of the road, painfully thin and eaten away by an infestation of parasites and those left to die in a steel drum outside in the cold, as in the case of Shirley, the dog in the photo, the stories are endless.
How can we call ourselves civilised when we are so focused on ourselves that we fail to notice or act in the best interests of the lost souls who are broken and bleeding right in front of us?
The cowardice and complacency of those who turn away is eating away at the fabric of society, creating a sickness, soullessness and sordid behaviour that is legalised, rationalised and accepted, and this is not OK.
The Public Has To Step Up
I am angry and ashamed at how low humanity has fallen and how broken we have become.
Decency, kindness and basic tenets of goodness has been eroded away and truth has perished and vanished from our lips. (Jeremiah 7:28)
We have to do better, we have to recognise, acknowledge and reverse our failings, we have to tell ourselves the truth, we have to step up and we have to look demons square in the face and say a loud resounding NO.
Truth is being undermined and falsehoods are being embraced, creating destruction, depravity, degradation and a widespread delusion and distortion that is eating us alive.
We are all responsible for the welfare of the animals in our midst, we are each responsible for every animal that crosses our path and we all have a duty towards every little soul who needs help.
We Are The Ones
We cannot hand off responsibility to someone else, hoping someone else will take care of the problem and ridding ourselves of the burden, only to load that burden onto someone else.
If we cannot look after an animal, giving them the proper care that they need, and making proper provisions for them in the event that we are no longer able to take care of them, we shouldn't be able to have them at all.
The whole of society is bleeding and our animals are suffering the most, left to die, scared and alone, tired and broken, by heartless people who feel that it's not their problem, that someone else will help and turning a blind eye.
We have to raise the bar, we have to raise ourselves, we have to raise our expectations of what is reasonable, right and good and most of all, we have to raise one another from the living dead to wakefulness.
It is time to take responsibility and accountability for the mess we have created, looking upwards and inwards for answers and holding ourselves and each other to a higher standard.
The Devil Wears Prada
When I write these blogs, I can feel God's Power flowing through my veins, into my hands and onto the page, as a righteous indignation floods my nervous system and I pour myself out.
This is how we need to live, connected, committed and commissioned towards a greater good that creates, empowers and strengthens.
The devil does not come towards us in his true form, because he knows we would be repulsed and see him for who he truly is, instead he wears Prada and the unsuspecting fall prey.
In response to this silent and hidden epidemic, so-called leaders in positions of trust including "rescue" organisations, vets and law enforcement, violate the law, the animals they are there to serve and protect and public trust.
Whilst onlookers avert their eyes and do nothing, or worse, seal their fate by putting those in need in harms way - the truth is ugly, it stinks and it hurts, but the truth sets us free and we have to face it so that we can make better choices.
Behind The Curtain
We have to be brave enough to peer behind the curtain to see what is really there, as the front that many people put out, is nothing more than a façade.
So many people who think they are rescuing an animal by phoning a certain well-known rescue organisation are horrified when they discover the truth, and conversely, many know the truth and justify it.
It would be better for people to safeguard an animal in need themselves, than to risk their lives or subject them to long periods of confinement and confusion, with most cases ending in death.
The SPCA has beautiful glossy brochures where they speak of respect, animal rights and all sorts of commendable words, but in reality, they don't live up to the hype.
Yes, they do great work removing animals from neglected and abusive situations, but what happens to them once they are in their hands continues the cycle.
Metal Cages, Stone Walls & Cold Slabs
It is no wonder that so many animals show fear aggression once captured by an organisation with a high kill rate, they can smell it, feel it and taste it, it's palpable.
All sorts of animals land up at these organisations, from strays to those who have suffered at the hands of cruel and ignorant people, to those who belonged to someone as loving companions, only to have become lost in the system of stone walls and stone hearts.
And when they do, they land up in metal cages, scared and alone, devoid of the companionship they were designed for, categorised into those who can be re-homed and those who can't.
Those who don't get homed in time and those who are classed as not suitable for adoption are euthanised "compassionately", but this fluffy term is simply a way to justify cruelty and legalised killing.
My heart aches for all the scared ones, the lost ones and the broken ones, who were lead into a room, with their tails wagging, totally unaware of their fate, as they were held down, battling for life, only to have their dignity, along with their lives, stripped and ripped away.
Killing Our Way Out Of A Crisis
According to the State of Pet Homelessness Report, undertaken alongside leading animal welfare "experts" and organisations, there are over 4 million (22%) homeless cats and dogs in South Africa.
Many suffer on the streets, facing starvation, disease and cruelty, and in my personal experience, many also suffer in their supposed homes under the same circumstances.
Adoption rates are low simply because there aren't enough hours in the day, there aren't enough resources, faith is at an all-time low and the intake is faster than anyone can manage.
The report further estimates that 15% of dog owners and 13% of cat owners are considering giving up their pets in the next year, and based on estimated populations of 14 million in this country alone, this equates to an additional 2.1 million animals.
Animal overpopulation, uncontrolled breeding, a lack of adequate law enforcement resources to enforce the Animal Protection Act, together with irresponsible ownership and an even more irresponsible public, is creating a vicious cycle with no end in sight and we are told that euthanasia has to be embraced.
An Inability to Operate Responsibly
Belinda Abraham, spokesperson for the Cape of Good Hope SPCA, acknowledges the extremely complex challenge and admits that they are unable to operate responsibly, sustainably or compassionately without a compassionate euthanasia policy.
This is as a result of their non-selective open admissions policy for the animals nobody else wants, including those surrendered by other organisations because they are not good adoption candidates.
Understandably, a revolving door is created, with those already there having to be disposed of to make room for more, and this policy is at the root of both the problem and the solution.
A compassionate euthanasia policy is an oxymoron and abuses the purpose that this extreme condition was created for, which is to relieve untenable suffering that cannot be alleviated.
Ironically, organisations who are set up to safeguard and protect are perpetrating the exact crimes they are there to prevent, and no amount of challenge relieves us of our obligation to operate responsibly.
Telling The Truth
Whilst I acknowledge the extreme challenge, with first-hand experience, we cannot profess to stand for and respect life whilst doing the opposite, telling ourselves that we have no choice, there is always a choice and there has to be a higher way.
I responded to a post recently from the NSPCA who posted the photo below and said that every animal matters, every life has value and that animals are not ours to abuse or neglect.
They are sentient beings, capable of feeling love, fear, joy and pain and that it's time we recognise that animals don't exist for us, they exist with us.
This sentiment is exactly true but the NSPCA painted a very different picture to that which they operate under, compelling me to comment about their dishonesty in pedalling a lie.
When I challenged them on this, I got the same response that I have come to expect, "What do you want us to do?" Followed by justification, then no response at all, the standard tactic.
A Higher Way
The key is in being honest about the situation, talking about the hard things and being free to have diverging opinions, which can be polarised, with a view to learning, growing and finding a better way.
It begins and ends with us taking responsibility, standing for life and raising our faith, which will open doors to new possibilities and ways that are hidden to pride, arrogance, deceit and defeat.
There cannot be an open door policy where animals are overlooked and turned over to make room for more, organisations must deal with existing animals before taking on more and they must tell the truth to people when they surrender them so that they are fully aware of the consequences and able to make an informed choice.
An awareness of the crisis must be shared with a rallying cry for help to educate the public to create a powerful army and network of excellent fosters and re-habilitators with proper processes in place to find good forever homes.
In the meantime, animals must be homed in large gardens and open spaces, together, where possible, with out of the box thinking with regards to truly looking out for and looking after them.
There Are No Limits
There are no limits on funding, only limits on thinking and faith, everything is possible to those who truly have the best interests of the animals in mind, who go above and beyond and who are truly dedicated to life, quality of life and everything that goes with that.
Initiatives must be both government and privately funded and the public themselves have to take their fair share of the responsibility and rise to the challenge.
Organisations and people have to align with the truth of what they profess to stand for and the core of our practices have to come from a place of victory, vanquish and vested interests in achieving the mission, which is to protect, serve and do no harm.
Euthanasia must be reserved for the purpose it was intended for and not a catch all for homelessness, hopelessness and heavy hearts and stonewalling must be replaced with respect, honesty and a genuine desire to serve.
Legalised killing, learned helplessness and justifying everything that is wrong with the world has to be replacing with raising the bar and re-thinking what's possible from an empty cup, waiting to be filled with everything that is right, good and true, amen.
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