The following is an editorial written by Penny Eims many years ago.
If I close my eyes, will it go away?
Gassing chamber use in parts of the United States to kill cats and dogs at animal shelters.
If I close my eyes, will it go away?
Heart-sticking of cats and dogs at some animal shelters in the United States.
If I close my eyes, will it go away?
Owners chaining their dogs, forgetting to feed them, or give them water. Many abused, most forgotten.
If I close my eyes, will it go away?
List after list after list of adoptable cats and dogs scheduled for euthanasia at over-crowded shelters.
If I close my eyes, will it go away?
Of course, the answer is no, but too many people do not want to see or hear about the horrors that happen to society’s unwanted, or neglected pets.
Too many good pet owners are content to live in their own bubble of contentment; enjoying their own well cared for cat or dog, but closed off to the horrors that befall the unlucky cats and dogs all around us.
If we close our eyes to abused children – the abuse does not stop. If we choose not to see the homeless or the hungry, their need does not go away.
I would encourage you to please get involved in some way. There are multiple ways for everyone to be involved.
Sign a petition that supports the end of heart-sticking and gas chambers for United States animal shelters.
Choose a local shelter that you visit and take photos for the flier – it’s easy and it helps.
Foster a homeless cat or dog – do not be one of the people who states that it is too hard to foster because you will be sad when the dog or cat is adopted. Because the harsh reality is that it is much harder to know that a dog or cat that you could have fostered was instead destroyed at an over-crowded shelter.
Adopt your next cat or dog. Do not buy your next pet from an irresponsible breeder or a pet store. Help stop the breeding madness that has taken over our society.
Spay and neuter your own pets. Do not contribute to the unwanted animals who are dying day after day.
Donate to a local cat or dog rescue, or to your local animal shelter. Visit Petfinder.com to find a shelter or rescue near you.
Report cases of neglect or abuse when you see it.
If you drive by a house with a dog chained to a tree, suffering through the elements without shelter, food or water – please pick up the phone and call animal control or the police and report the problem.
Don’t close your eyes and pretend that it will go away.
Help the rescue organizations who have taken in society’s cast-offs, or the abused dogs who have no one else to care for them.
Contact a local dog or cat rescue and find out if you can donate items, or perhaps help with transporting animals in need to/from foster homes, vet appointments, or even on cross-country road trips. Rescues are desperate for people that are willing and able to help. Once you try, you will realize just how easy it is to make a difference.
Bearing witness to animal cruelty is not an easy task, but closing your eyes to the problem will not make it go away.
Please do your part, in some way, to help those cats and dogs who do not have a voice. Please do not close your eyes.
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Thank you Penny Eims for every single moment that you spend helping animals. The dedication it takes to simply run a website like this I know, is huge! I just discovered your site recently and as difficult as it was, I’ve read and signed every petition. Thank you again and Thank you as well for those you help and are unable to say so! Keep up your incredible work!