Animal neglect and cruelty

This is in the news here in Boulder today because of the Abby Toll trial, which is in the hands of the jury as this is written.

What concerns me more is the ongoing problem of homeless men and women who attempt to own pets, almost always dogs. How do these people expect to be able to provide food and water, shelter, vet care, and necessary love for these poor animals? They are unable to provide the necessities for themselves! To me, it’s just another example of the selfish behavior of a segment of the homeless community who apparently believe they have a “right” to do as they please, regardless of consequences to others.

Some of these homeless people even choose to conceive and bear children, but that’s another blog entry.

Not one of the homeless people’s pets I’ve seen is cared for adequately. I recall seeing one dog a year or two ago which was being used as a pack animal by its owner. There have been media accounts of homeless people’s dogs turning vicious, hardly a surprise. Where are the authorities in all of this? It seems to me that any police officer who has reason to contact a homeless person with a pet ought to be asking about that pet’s welfare, as the officer would do with a child. These animals would be better off in the hands of the Humane Society of Boulder Valley for adoption, rather than suffering a slow death from abuse and neglect on the streets.

I’ll admit that I have a particular dislike for homeless impostors who falsely claim that they own Service Animals, a scam they employ to get these animals onto the RTD buses and elsewhere they would be prohibited. Real Service Animals are trained, loved, and cherished by their owners and almost always wear a distinctive vest. This hardly describes what happens to pets in the hands of homeless people here in Boulder.

Maybe this blog entry will alert the public to an issue which needs to be reported to the police more often. True, Boulder Shelter for the Homeless has a small kennel for the pets of homeless clients, but I cannot fault them for that. I think that it’s incumbent on the rest of us who see animal neglect and cruelty to report it promptly, and to insist that measures be taken to protect the poor creatures involved.

Addendum: The verdict is in. See — http://www.dailycamera.com/ci_14871809#axzz0l0uJPpkI