A Loss and So Much More

There are a few reasons to my keeping quiet for the past few days.

One being my disappointment for not being able to adopt Crosby . I was told by Miss Jacinta of SCPA that Crosby was already adopted by someone else. I have been visiting (close to obsessing over) PetFinder in hope to find another furball but sadly none caught my eyes nor interest. I know it’s only a cat but I guess the phrase ‘love is blind’ applies to both human and animal. I fell in love with Crosby the first time I saw her in the list of cats for adoption. I was mesmerized by her unusual color and the serene look on her face. She is indeed a special being.

Crosby, wherever you are, I am sure you are happier than ever.

I can’t explain why I am fussing over this cat whom I have never met. Sigh.

Well I guess things happen for a reason. We all believe in that, don’t we?

Little did I realize that this little loss had turned into a bigger gain, at least for me personally.

While browsing though PetFinder, I stumbled across more sites on pets and the sort.

So I thought, I’d do my bit by volunteering at SPCA to start with. I've got the forms all completed and signed. This weekend, I will haul the kids to SPCA in Ampang.

As I drill further into the site, I found more interesting sites but one really caught my interest. The site is called Remembering Sheena and its objective is to stop animal abuse in Malaysia . Here’s a bit of the history on how the site was build upon:

We were first moved by the plight of Sheena, the German Shepherd, that was kept tied and starved by her keeper, an engineer from Subang Jaya. The next door neighbour was devastated at watching the dog starve to death, and tried to feed it. But Sheena's keeper threw away the food and water (as reported in the national newspapers).

This neighbour telephoned the Department of Veterinary Services (the only authority in Malaysia with powers to arrest and charge animal abusers) three times to help Sheena, but no one came.

Out of desperation, she called former SPCA animal inspector, Sabrina Yeap, who led the rescue efforts. Sabrina carried Sheena out of the house in her arms, but Sheena was too weak and had to be put down. Her stomach had shrunk and her bones had become brittle from malnutrition.

In court, Sheena's keeper admitted guilt but was only fined RM100. No custodial sentence was meted out. Since 1953, when the Ordinance was passed, we can count on two hands the number of cases the DVS has taken to court, although animal shelters report about three cases of abuse each day.

I started reading the blog and shed a few tears over some of the appalling stories posted. Remembering Sheena Campaign (RSC) has relentlessly fight for animal welfare in the country. Some of the stories posted were heart-wrenching. I don’t know why I never paid any attention to them. It’s embarrassing, coming from an animal lover like myself. The fact that I condemn animal abuse but have never done anything to (help) stop the actual abuse is simply revolting.

I used to think it’s cool to bring the kids to the zoo and learn about the animals but have never realized that they didn’t really learn much from the visits. Little did I know that the animals could suffer from distress from all the attention and unnecessary human contact. But of course I am talking about the wild animals. Your pets welcome and need frequent petting. Let’s be clear about that. The last thing I want to do is spread incorrect information. Heheh.

Anyways. I feel very strongly for RSC and its objective. I even told Deli that I wish I could quit my job and work with SPCA. Wishful thinking, I know.

So my dear readers, please be good to the animals and report animal abuse to the Department of Veterinary Services.

Mahatma Gandhi said “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated”.

If only I knew about this site earlier. There were so many petitions that I would sign in a heartbeat. Sigh.

Let’s do our bit people. Start with our own pets at home and those roaming around our yards. Good luck.