You Have a Voice, Please Use It

I normally don't write about heavy topics. I try to stay focused on the brighter side of life in my writing. Yet the world is both light and dark and lately I have been experiencing a profound sense of sorrow. Specifically I am saddened and angered by the amount of animal abuse in this world but to be micro-specific it wrecks me to think of how many people know about an animal being neglected or abused and do nothing about it.

First the story of a Pitbull. The young dog was living with a woman who was supposed to take care of him. She tied him outside her apartment and didn't feed him. She said he bit her too much (He was a puppy, chances are he was teething and playing). So basically she allegedly starved him. Then she allegedly threw him down a garbage chute wrapped in a plastic bag. He was found by one brave amazing maintenance worker. Rather than assume it was a rat he opened the moving bag and made a call. The call saved this poor dog's life, he was hours way from death (image may be disturbing).On the night before St. Patrick's day he was taken to the Garden State Veterinary Specialists and after surviving the night despite the odds, he was named Patrick.  

This is Patrick now thanks to a lot of medical attention and love. 

This is an amazing story of a dog's will to live and a man who did the right thing. However, Patrick didn't have to go through this. He was tied in the stairwell of an apartment building. Many people, including a security guard, had to pass him and ignore him. Ignoring the fact that he was emaciating and dying before their eyes. 

Through a Facebook Page called The Patrick Miracle many have banded together to share stories of animals that need homes and also of other stories similar to Patrick's. In many cases the animals have died before they could get help. In many of the cases it seems authorities were given information by an informant, but just a little too late. 

So this is what I ask of you. If you see something speak up at that time. Don't sit on it and hope it will get better. Use your voice for animals that can not.You can always call your local police department if you suspect an animal is being abused or neglected. If that is a little too brazen for you alert an animal protection organization. Don't know where to find them? Look here: the World Animal Directory. They have listings of over 17,000 animal protection agencies in 170 countries. 

Please, please, please, don't be afraid to use your voice.