A few Saturdays ago, I was drinking coffee and I looked out my sliding glass window, which faces the woods. I noticed three raccoons trying to walk but kept falling over. I instantly gasped. I continued to watch them to make sure I wasn’t worrying for nothing. They continued to fall over, all three of them, as they tried to walk. A little while later I
noticed one of them trying to get up a hill and he would take a step or two and then fall over and roll back down the hill. It was absolutely heartbreaking to watch!

I assumed they were suffering from poisoning. I couldn’t stand the thought of just walking away knowing they were really suffering. I didn’t know where to call though. After checking into the DNR where I didn’t get anybody on the phone and unsure if the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center would come and pick them up (their website talks about bringing animals to them), I called the police and they did come out and look for them. They said they would bring them to the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center if they could find the raccoons. I don’t know if they ever found them. I talked to an officer twice and he was having trouble locating them because they kept going in and out of the woods.

I said a prayer for them and took notes from what I learned this day so I would be better prepared if I encounter a situation like this again. I know now the police will help and I contacted the Wildlife Rehabilitation Center to see if they will pick up animals.

If any of you run into a situation like this, I hope you will not turn your back on the animal in distress, but take the time to help them. Learn from me and find out NOW what kind of help is available in your neighborhood for these types of situations so you are not spending so much time trying to figure that out while they are continuing to suffer. The sooner the animals gets help, the more likely it can be saved. After all, Animals are Feeling Beings Too.

On to another story I have. I was watching a movie last night called “Eyes of an Angel” (there was a lot of swearing in this movie that I didn’t like, but John Travolta was playing a guy trying to get over some addictions). They say at the beginning of the movie that it is a true story. Anyway, the movie starts off with dogfighting (illegal and very inhumane). A Doberman gets badly hurt, so the guy who was fighting this Doberman so cruelly just takes him and throws him in the river. The dog made it out of the river and a little girl found him and nursed him back to health. This dog was so grateful to her that he followed her across the country. (Her dad, played by John Travolta, was running away from some people he owed money to and needed to flee the state and he didn’t want to take the dog with). Amazing! This dog was so determined to find the little girl and he did!

I feel this movie validates what I have believed all along and that is that dogs are not just born mean; humans make them mean. Even Dobermans, Pitbulls, and Rottweilers. In fact, I worked at an animal clinic for a while as a weekend walker and cleaner. There was a Rottweiler there that I was terrified to walk at first just because of his size. He turned out to be the gentlest dog there. They told me that he was a big teddy bear and that he was (he also smelled really good all of the time too).

There are always stories about one of these types of dogs hurting somebody. My first question always is “how was that dog treated?” If you were pushed around and beat all the time, what would you be like? If you were taught to hurt or fight, what would you be like?

I‘m sure these animals are very confused and scared themselves and just acting how they were taught. It isn’t fair that they are “put down” when they hurt someone. What about rehabilitating them with patience and love! We need more of these places out there. Maybe YOU can start a place like this.

After all, Animals are Feeling Beings Too!