|
Post by BlueMouse on Nov 8, 2004 13:33:57 GMT 1
thank you V , it is really nice to hear something like that me personally is a animal lover and I dont like what is happening to these poor creatures I agree , all buyers should be registered and obliged to take care of their pets unfortunatelly it is not so and what I wrote before is sad truth am not saying that britts are like that , I said that foreighners was caught doing so also , some people here , tend to just discard their pets when they are going to seaside or when get tired of them or when their children dont like it anymore then this animals get thrown at the street and become a wildlife in urban surround and eventually become a problem some time ago I found a dta about how many dalmatian dogs were bought and then thrown at the streets after 101 dalmatians movie in USA this numbers are terrible this numbers are telling us a story not about pets ,but about us as humans I really wish that pets will be treated as cars or as something that need to be registered and that owner is responsible for their destiny
|
|
Ruza
Full Member
Posts: 71
|
Post by Ruza on Nov 10, 2004 3:04:24 GMT 1
Um...not trying to be a devils advocat here but...... For arguments sake....let's say you are living in Croatia with 500 Euros pay...you have 3 children to feed and clothe...bills to pay etc. Would you seriously lie awake at night and worry about how to feed and protect the stray animals in your city when you are worried about how to feed your kids tomorrow? Just curious
|
|
|
Post by bheywood on Nov 12, 2004 11:48:36 GMT 1
A fair point, well made. The problem I have seen on Vis (I'm no expert on anywhere else) is not the the locals are cruel to the multitude of stray cats - they feed them scraps and are far more tolerant than people in, say Greece or Turkey - but simply that they lack the knowledge to help those animals that are suffering from broken legs, cuts, abrasions, conjunctivitis (many kittens have real eye problems) - the same as any of us. There just seems to be a shortage of qualified vets, the same as any developing country, and beautiful as Croatia is, it is not yet a 1st world nation that can afford, like the US or UK, to train vets, and the population is not yet well off enough to pay vet's fees and enable them to make a good living. Vicious Circle syndrome results.
Our local vet in London volunteered for a month in Greece to help neuter and spay local strays - but when she was a student. Maybe something similar can be done for Croatia, but until the average wage hits western European levels, it'll remain a handout situation, I think...
|
|
|
Post by BlueMouse on Nov 19, 2004 16:46:36 GMT 1
congrats to england finally is fox hunt forbidden today , starting from february 2005 good job
|
|
|
Post by Shannon on Nov 20, 2004 11:54:25 GMT 1
Here in Split, we have a huge number of stray cats that hang around the Riva in particular, around the garbage bins. My mother, a fanatic animal lover and collector of unwanted animals, was really concerned since many of the cats are surrounded by new broods of tiny kittens.
However, we also noticed that there are, scattered throughout the grass, many small dishes of food which some kind people have put out to feed the animals. This was a relief, to see that there are some people who are concerned enough to do something.
I, like Als, feed any stray cats that come to our house (which really drives the crazy man upstairs nuts, btw!!!) We even bought doggie treats and a jar of sardines for the purpose.
If anyone knows of any project, or wants to launch one, in Split, I'd be happy to help out, but I'm not a vet. Ruza makes an excellent point, that most regular people are just trying to get by themselves, without having the added burden of taking care of strays. You'll see, when you come to Split, all the people taking coffee at 1:00pm everyday, people who have no jobs, no income.
About Greece, I'll ask my m-in-l when we go to Athens for Christmas. I remember she was upset that the Olympic organizers wanted to eliminate the strays in Athens before the games. Athenians were against this, and wanted to protect the animals. I'll get back to you on that.
|
|
|
Post by LoveU2 on Jan 11, 2005 22:03:03 GMT 1
I do believe peace and kindness start from the bottom.
I believe Croatia should help unwanted animals....they have the money, it is just going into the wrong pockets.
I am horrified at the thought that people treat their animals like trash....Americans have the same problem, animals are treated like toys, once they are old or no longer useful, out they go to the street or the pound!
When on the street, they are subject to kids doing violence to them, also the danger of traffic, starvation, disease....you get the sad picture.
I think if you don't start with the smallest creatures, human kind is in for disaster!
People should be punished severely for animal cruelty no matter what country you live in!
|
|
|
Post by Shannon on Jan 12, 2005 8:00:40 GMT 1
LoveU2, Hello and good morning. I noticed on this board that you seem to be very anti American. Is there a reason for that? What is your nationality?
I can assure you that Americans very much love their animals. The vast majority of people do not throw their beloved pets onto the streets when they become old. I'm sure it happens once in a while, some bad people, but Americans are actually well known for being pet lovers.
I lived in Korea, where animals are REALLY treated like toys. They carry tiny dogs around like a purse, and sell baby chicks to students out of a truck. This is not the American or Canadian attitude. Pets are part of our families. Happy January everyone!
|
|
|
Post by LoveU2 on Jan 12, 2005 9:04:51 GMT 1
LoveU2, Hello and good morning. I noticed on this board that you seem to be very anti American. Is there a reason for that? What is your nationality? I can assure you that Americans very much love their animals. The vast majority of people do not throw their beloved pets onto the streets when they become old. I'm sure it happens once in a while, some bad people, but Americans are actually well known for being pet lovers. I lived in Korea, where animals are REALLY treated like toys. They carry tiny dogs around like a purse, and sell baby chicks to students out of a truck. This is not the American or Canadian attitude. Pets are part of our families. Happy January everyone! Hi shannon I am sorry to tell you Yes americans love their pets they may spend more on their pets than any other country but there is a DIRTY LITTLE SECRET that many people are unaware of or just don't care.... here is a little info from an article to give you some insight on American pets! Last month the San Francisco Chronicle ran a disturbing story entitled "Inhumane society," documenting grim conditions at the Sacramento County Animal Shelter, where more than 11,400 :'(animals are euthanized each year. The report sparked public outcry and prompted calls for action from State and County lawmakers. In the weeks following the Chronicle report, people were asking two pivotal questions: "How could this happen?" and "What can be done?" The first question suggests that the Sacramento shelter is an anomaly. Sadly, that is not the case. As the Chronicle correctly pointed out, "In some ways, the Sacramento County Animal Shelter is indistinguishable from countless others across the state and nation." Right now there are millions of dogs and cats in overcrowded shelters nationwide. Many were unceremoniously dumped, cast aside by the very people they relied on. Others came from the streets, where pet overpopulation results in countless unwanted cats and dogs. About 60 percent of them will end up dead, euthanized to make room for the long line of others who will soon need the limited space they occupy. This is an abysmal outcome by any standard. It's especially disheartening in an age when many people have growing appreciation and respect for the value of companion animals and the human-animal bond. Unfortunately, the enlightenment is not universal; it is clearly not reflected in the sometimes callous, more often mindless, but always tragic betrayal of so many homeless animals. Shannon, Alot of people think America is paradise well there are alot of things wrong with paradise.... I am american. I live in California. My parents are Croatian(DAD) & Scottish(MOM). I have a love / hate relationship with America.... on one hand america is beautiful beyond belief, then on the other hand you have greedy people that want to destroy that beauty to gain a couple of bucks (oil)(tree/wood). America has jobs where you can sometimes with luck and hard work strike it rich!!! On the other hand you have immigrants that are being used illegally for cheap labor and you have one of the highest homeless rates. In this great America you actually have children that are starving, while others are stuffing their faces and wasting food.....America is always 2 EXTREMES of the spectrum.... I am ashamed of America right now, I am embarrassed by BUSH he is a stupid, . I can't believe what idiots whould vote for a man that would destroy our enviroment for a small amount of oil, or destroy a country for oil (Iraq) a man whose father Bush Senior has connections with Bin Ladden family and quiet dealings with rich saudi familys. This gives you an idea why it may seem like I am anti american. LoveU2
|
|
|
Post by Shannon on Jan 12, 2005 10:43:56 GMT 1
I agree the US is not a paradise. But then again, no country is. Human beings are not always nice, no matter what country they live in, and I've travelled a lot, I see the same things everywhere I go. That's too bad about the animal shelter. I think some people who cannot deal with their pets anymore (they have kids, fall into debt, etc) believe that animal shelters are better than just throwing their dogs away, that the shelter will take care of them. And people really should spay and neuter their pets, so as not to increase the stray population. Don't you remember the host from the Price is Right, Bob Barker? After every show, he reminded people to spay/neuter their pets. Still, compared to other countries, animals in the States have it made
|
|
|
Post by CroatladyinUS on Jan 12, 2005 16:53:54 GMT 1
It's true that America has the highest level, I think, of awareness of animal cruelty and also standards of proper behavior and care towards animals of most any other country. Still, there are serious cases of animal neglect and outright cruelty. When I lived on the west coast of the US I worked with Greyhound rescue. (You know, from the race tracks where they dump them once they are not useful for racing anymore....) I also worked with Italian Greyhound rescue -- now the level of cruelty I witnessed doing this work I cannot even begin to explain. People can be unbelievably cruel and it does happen in the US. I've also worked with shelters with "problem dogs and cats" fostering them until they are housebroken, and essentially learn to trust humans again. A lot of these instances of outright cruelty were committed by people who were not raised in the US -- OK, generalization here, but the point is that the attitude toward animals is different in other countries than in the US. Once an awareness that animals need to be protected with basic standards of care becomes widespread, the problem will hopefully diminish. Education is needed first and foremost. I also think that cruelty to animals should be considered a crime and prosecuted just like any other crime. Strays are another issue and it seems to me many people in Croatia do care about this problem. I think in time this issue will also be addressed in Croatia on a larger scale but unfortunately so many other issues take priority at the moment that it is not number one on the list.
|
|
|
Post by LoveU2 on Jan 12, 2005 19:40:44 GMT 1
It's true that America has the highest level, I think, of awareness of animal cruelty and also standards of proper behavior and care towards animals of most any other country. Still, there are serious cases of animal neglect and outright cruelty. When I lived on the west coast of the US I worked with Greyhound rescue. (You know, from the race tracks where they dump them once they are not useful for racing anymore....) I also worked with Italian Greyhound rescue -- now the level of cruelty I witnessed doing this work I cannot even begin to explain. People can be unbelievably cruel and it does happen in the US. I've also worked with shelters with "problem dogs and cats" fostering them until they are housebroken, and essentially learn to trust humans again. A lot of these instances of outright cruelty were committed by people who were not raised in the US -- OK, generalization here, but the point is that the attitude toward animals is different in other countries than in the US. Once an awareness that animals need to be protected with basic standards of care becomes widespread, the problem will hopefully diminish. Education is needed first and foremost. I also think that cruelty to animals should be considered a crime and prosecuted just like any other crime. Strays are another issue and it seems to me many people in Croatia do care about this problem. I think in time this issue will also be addressed in Croatia on a larger scale but unfortunately so many other issues take priority at the moment that it is not number one on the list. Unfortunately I do know what they do to Grey hounds, don't be shy to tell us or shock us, people need to be educated, if they are not told what goes on, then they are ignorant to the situtation. Maybe if someone knows this information they won't go to grey hound racing.... One thing that they do to grey hounds is cut their ears off because they have tatoo inside ear with information on owners.... Well owners cut ears off the losing dogs and then throw them into mass graves... because the dogs are not profitable. They don't look for homes for their losing dogs they just toss them out like garbage! There have been holes filled with 10-20 dogs or more with ears cut off....that is disgusting. There is more but I will leave you with this for now... it is painful to write.
|
|
|
Post by Shannon on Jan 12, 2005 20:17:33 GMT 1
LoveU2, That is indeed a terrible tragedy (not sure we need the graphics though). What you are talking about is what happens when animals are treated as objects in pursuit of money and business. Unfortunately, this kind of mentality does not belong to the States alone. Cock fighting, horse racing (my parents and parent's friends were involved in the racing business briefly), dog racing etc, are seen the world over and involve the same kinds of abuses. This has less to do with the way people view animals than the way some people put money and business before life. (slavery was built on similiar principles, which occured all over the world, and even today people operate sweatshops or use child labour) These kind of people, who exist all over the world, do not value ANY kind of life if it impedes with making profit. It's a shame, but that is the greed of humankind. I agree that people abuse animals, in the US and all over the world, but I still believe that the US has a healthier and kinder relationship with animals, comparatively, than other countries.
|
|
|
Post by LoveU2 on Jan 12, 2005 20:25:06 GMT 1
I agree the US is not a paradise. But then again, no country is. Human beings are not always nice, no matter what country they live in, and I've travelled a lot, I see the same things everywhere I go. That's too bad about the animal shelter. I think some people who cannot deal with their pets anymore (they have kids, fall into debt, etc) believe that animal shelters are better than just throwing their dogs away, that the shelter will take care of them. And people really should spay and neuter their pets, so as not to increase the stray population. Don't you remember the host from the Price is Right, Bob Barker? After every show, he reminded people to spay/neuter their pets. Still, compared to other countries, animals in the States have it made Shannon, These people are not just taking their pets to the shelter because they are (lost their job, have kids, fall into debt) these people are tossing their animals into shelters or the street because the animal is now inconvient..... People should be aware that they should not buy an animal unless they are committed to keeping that animal for it's life time, I don't care if you have a kid, you knew when you got the dog there is a possibility you might have kids or lose your job. I will tell you right now....10 years ago, my living situtation was completely different than it is now.... I had bought a home and lost my job, I had 2 big rottweilers, I still have one of them he is now 13, the other one died of old age. Well I lost my job, my electricity was put off occassionaly because I could not pay the bill on time, I was going without proper food, I ate soups every day, MY DOGS still got food & shelter, I bought the cheapest dog food I could find, but those dogs stayed with me....I made a committment to those animals and I was not going to put them in a shelter.... Well when you do the right thing, things work out, I found another job, My dogs now get the best dog food money can buy and toys like you would not believe, in fact I got married and I don't work and stay home, my dogs the old guy and a new dog(rottweiler) also get even more attention now that I am home..... I have been to the shelter and sat and talked to some people, I remember talking to this women(she was pregnant) & had a small child with her, she sat there and said she was going to adopt a dog, well I asked her if she had a dog before, she said she had. I assumed the dog must have died so I finally asked her what happen to the dog she had had....ohhh we had to put it in the shelter because we moved to a smaller home....what an excuse, now the dumb bit*ch is Pregnant and has one kid and she is telling me they are moving again and would like to get another dog....HMMM she is moving does'nt know if she will even have a place big enough, she is having a new child and is bringintg into this mess of a situtation another dog... I bet the dog she adopts is a puppy and when it gets to big for her to bother with it will find its way to the shelter. One other thing....America has high crime and violence (humans to other humans) so you think animals are safe in america when people can't treat other people with kindness and understanding. I agree if you are a pet in america and you get a good family. You are a lucky pet... but to bad for the millions of other pets that are not so lucky..... I am sorry I get so emotional with this. You have to see what happens to animals here, it is sad. I think that europe has higher standards for animals (germany, england, austria) plus in europe people are more up front about how they feel about animals.... Here in america I feel like it is a dirty little secret, most people don't hear about how many animals suffer here, it is over shadow by day to day living....people are not really interested....They rather see the Saga of Laci Peterson and the trial of Scott Peterson & Amber Frey's thoughts of why Scott did it....I am not saying that is not important but animals never get the lime lite.... I am passionate about Gods gift to this earth, ANIMALS they don't have a mouth to shout to us (humans). I have a big mouth, I hope to help them out in some small way.....
|
|
|
Post by V on Jan 24, 2005 15:59:42 GMT 1
CROATIA always insists that its place is in Europe and not in the Balkans...I regret to have to say (and admit, being partly Croatian myself), that the overall attitude towards the animals in the country contradicts this claim; in Europe, the problem exists but within a minority of population. In Croatia(as in the rest of the Balkans), it is a majority whose attitude shows neither understanding of, nor empathy with the plight of the animals.
|
|