Multiple Things

by Mira P.

Hey, everyone. There hasn't been very much activity on Tiny Cages recently, except for an occasional Facebook status, so I have a few things to say here.

One - one thing I've been wanting to talk about ever since I made this blog is one of the first things people may think of when they think "tiny cages" and "animal abuse", but it's one that, sadly, a lot of people unknowingly contribute to - puppy mills.

Puppy mills are an inhumane yet legal thing that's been going on for years, decades, I don't know how long. They force dogs to mate with each other and take the babies away before they're ready, all to sell them to pet stores so they can make money. They keep them in tiny cages and sometimes dogs never get to see sunlight their entire lives. The people who manage them more often than not don't take care of them properly; in fact, it's downright animal abuse, there's no questioning that.

Two - onto to something a little more cheerful than the subject of puppy mills is a problem I notice with some individuals. Not puppy mills, or corporations, but just regular people. One thing I notice is that a lot of people view getting a dog, for example, as "buying a dog".

To me, this attitude of "I'm going to buy a dog" can seem fine, but can also hide bad intentions. Sometimes it's an innocent thought, but sometimes it's a "this dog is a toy" or "this dog is for shows only" or even just something like "this dog is not my pet, nor a family member". A dog, or a cat, to me, is like a child. You wouldn't adopt a child without having a loving home ready and waiting, you wouldn't adopt a child without doing plenty of research on parenting first, and you wouldn't adopt a child simply for show - so why do it when it's a dog and not a child?

A dog is a family member, just like a child. A dog may be equally as traumatized as a child if given up by a family he loved and thought loved him, or if brought into a home where no love is given.

Three - The last thing I have to talk about is something much more cheerful than the last two. Have you ever seen a video or a story of a solider returning from the war to greet his child or maybe his dog? They're pretty popular, and it's likely you have.

The SAC (Soldiers' Animal Companions) Fund helps soldiers that have found dogs or cats in Afghanistan to keep the dogs by sending them back to the USA so they are waiting for their owner to return. There are many sweet stories. If the soldier cannot keep the dog, they help get it adopted into a loving home. The dogs are always so happy to see their soldier return, and the feelings are mutual! Lots of times the soldiers say that the dog helped save their life, even if it's just that the dog was there when they were having a tough time or missing their family.

Here's SAC Fund if you want to check it out. And if you want to, please donate! It's a wonderful thing they are doing and they could use all the help they could get.