Dear Editor,
A lot of articles and features miss our eyes in the newspapers. Very often it is the important things that we forget to read or take note of. Recently, I began taking much note of Sunday Stabroek’s ‘Pet Corner’ penned each week by Dr Steve Surujbally. Ever since my sister and I were small, we had pets, especially dogs, at almost every step in our lives. We were very attached to many of the dogs we had. We named them funny names. Dogs have always been a more special form of pets to me. I am also sure that they are the most common form of pets of persons in Guyana. And the column in the SN rightly focuses on our canine friends more than other animals each Sunday.
Of course, cats have been around for millions of years, whereas the first demonstrable relationships between man and wolves began some 10-15,000 years ago. My sister and I have shared happy and sad moments with pets, especially dogs while growing up. The sadder points were their (sometimes gruesome) demise, when in a few instances a person or persons would go to the extent of poisoning these helpless animals so that they can carry out their nefarious activities in the dark of night.
I thank the columnist for a touching article on December 20, 2009 about how we should treat our pets during the holiday period. The article evoked deep feelings, especially the quoted words by Senator George Vest in his tribute to dogs.
My sister is crazy about animals. She is a volunteer at an animal shelter in New York and visits as often as needed to feed, bathe and walk pitbulls that are getting a second chance at life. Their owners either gave them up or were charged for being involved in dog-fighting. Some of the pitbulls were even supposed to be euthanized. Some animals there are battered, she related to me, and needed extra TLC (as Dr Surujbally’s column explained).
The shelters are operated through donations and finances from the owners themselves, and also from fundraisers. Because the population at these shelters is on the rise, persons would ‘rent’ a dog or cat for the day, take them out, have a good time with them outside, and return them at the end of the day to the shelter.
My sister says that she is passionate about them because “they need help and a lot of bad things happen to them by their owners.” She says that she loves them because they love you back unconditionally. No matter if you are cruel to them unconscionably, when they wake up they love you again.
A few years ago in these columns, someone (presumably a foreigner), wrote a letter about the overpopulation of dogs in our country. And it is true. Look around your surroundings and you will see dozens of dogs (and cats too) roaming your communities, towns and villages. Many of them become road-kill and perish at the hands of cruel motorists.
I believe the Guyana Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (GSPCA) should be commended for their (silent and unrecognized) work in the field of taking care of animals, especially cats and dogs that are sick, maimed, disease-ridden, hungry and just without a good home. At least we know that this is a safe haven for our animals.
We seem to have a problem in Guyana whereby persons are ignorant or uneducated about their duties in caring for their pets. Many persons take in pets and they cannot care for them properly or devote quality time with them.
Many children are not told by their parents how to treat animals, and especially during the holidays, many dogs and cats would be traumatized by the sounds of firecrackers and squibs.
Animal cruelty is a big issue in other countries. There are even laws in many countries to deal with offenders who are cruel to cats, dogs and other animals. It is a matter not taken very lightly.
I wish to thank Stabroek News for their efforts each week for making this humane contribution to the lives and welfare of our silent friends who make our lives a little more enjoyable and homes secure as well. Maybe the GSPCA should have extension services to areas such as Essequibo and Berbice, so that persons (or rather pets) can benefit from their services of spaying, neutering, vaccination, anti-heartworm meds, and general care.
They have no voice of their own, so any forum where their rights and welfare are being discussed and sensitization is taking place on their behalf is readily welcome.
We know that we all lead very busy and hectic lives, but the busiest person who gets more things done is an effective planner. It doesn’t take much effort to care for a dog or cat.
So I support the call of the GSPCA to persons to go in and adopt a pet, give them a real home, with real love, attention and care. These animals are perhaps the closest friends any human being would have in the animal kingdom. Cats and dogs have lived side by side humans for a very long time; maybe this is an indication as to how intertwined our lives are and how dependent we are on each other.
Yours faithfully,
Leon J Suseran
We should, Leon, we should. But then the record of the care we Guyanese give to our companion humans – spouses, children, relatives, friends – has not been exemplary.
Mr Hackett, for once, a relevant, sane and somewhat sober comment to one of my pieces…unlike others (comments)
Pet ownership is for lonely people who are desperate to nurture a creature that gives them the love that they cannot get from their fellow man.
That’s because the letter is “relevant, sane and somewhat sober”.
When me and the wife of +30 yrs of marriage have a quarrel, row, over kids (in their late 20’s going on early 30’s)…kids that is…
I just take Rover for a walk (at times, in brutal winter)…
…Rover doesn’t complain, he just wants to be out… it’s cold, he loves the snow…
By the time I return home, I’m cold, Rover is tired, and I want the warm comfort of my +30 companion…
What quarrel, what row!
Gone!
How we treat our animals tell a lot about us and our society so this is a very welcome letter from Leon Suseran.
Many moons ago I regularly admonished my older 8 year old brother about tying our lovely pet dog onto a red-ants nest
… you see…he wanted to make the dog fierce. I often got a beating for that stance however even to this day I still regret the suffering of that poor animal.
And you know what?
Later after all the ants had left the animal, the dog still loved us.
Suseran is therefore painfully correct in saying that we seem to have a problem in Guyana whereby persons are ignorant or uneducated about their duties in caring for their pets.
Notwithstanding the cruelty which my brother inflicted on our family dog, I would suggest it is critical that all children aged 10 years and above should have a pet animal.
It is through such an animal that they can develop emotional attachments which will hold them in good training for the personal inter-human relationships in their late teen years and beyond.
NOTE: In the rich countries like USA, Canada, UK etc., the old and infirm are literally abandoned by their go-getting-children and only have a pet animal in which to share the last few years of their lives.
Ms Syeada Manbodh who writes to SN regularly, Dr Surujbally and their friends can be reached at:
http://www.mypetsdating.com/contact-us/contacts/soraya-arjune
where they offer much good advice, beautiful photographs and can tell you how YOU CAN DO YOUR BIT TOO TO HELP.
Satish ! Cut the crap about ‘how we treat our animals tell a lot about us and society’. Do you think people in poor , poverty striken countries like that sorry Guyana have time for animals as pets. ? Nonsense . They are trying to survive everyday on next to nothing. The animals venture into their yards and some people would feed them. What more do you want from them ? Such luxuries are for the leisure class. Guyana is still at the working poor level.
I have 2 Tibetan Spaniels, They are the best friends I could ever wish for
There are men and women in the State of Missouri whose best friends are miniature donkeys and horses.
Good for you, Kamla, love them as best you can, and without a doubt, they will show you the same love in return…
Its a sad sad world when we treat animals better than we treat mankind.
Does Suseran understand that pet owners like him have contributed to the problems he is writing about? OVERBREEDING and domestication created the atmosphere for this cruelty and contempt for animals.
Animals belong in their natural habitat. They were created to be beasts of burden and food for the table.
Americans spent more that 41 BILLION dollars in 2007 to maintain their pets. This is sickening. People are dying of starvation and diseases but we place more value on the welfare of domesticated animals that we deliberately breed and overbreed.
83% of dogowners say they’d risk their lives for Rover.
70% say Rover would risk his life for them.
marabunta, on what basis do you make such a statement? Certainly you know nothing about animal cruelty..and the extent to which it pervades our society
Great Letter. Thank you for bringing this iss to light. More needs to be done. Can expats come together and fund a shelter for animals in Guyana? Yes, care shoudl be given to people, but for he more part people can help themselves, animals can’t.
THey are at our mercy, since we domesticated them.
I grew up near a cruel neighbor, who tied cats in a bag and drowned them, and even lanced them to death with a spear.. when theived attached him, he hid. Where was his lance then? Now he is blind and lame. Yes, this is graphic, but we all have memories of animal cruelties that should be brought to light and educate future generations.
Georgie, being poor, does not give you a liscense to beat, chop, and poison an animal, as is often the case in Guyana, the least we can do is treat them humanely and feed them table scraps or at least fish guts. Even the poverty striken have to clean their fish and throw away the guts, no? Also, poverty stiken people can still benifit from being to compassionate to a dog or cat, it will bring a level of joy (and amusment) to them, with their quirky ways, on a psychological level.You will agree, that these poverty sticken can use some joy in their life, no? Yes, stroking ( petting) an animal is theraputic, and watching them play or respond to you brings joy.
Now lookee hey, Varsha ! Where in my comment did I advocate or support cruelty to the animals ? You got the nerve to write to me thus. And yes, we have a one yeaar old Yorkshire terrier that was bought as a puppy for $900.00 . We watch tv together on Sundays.