[Chat] missing pets

[echalmers at mindspring.com]

Linda is right about animals being stolen for pit bull training; ithey may also be sold for research, but I think in our area it's mostly pit bull bait. In addition, traffic takes a heavy toll on animals. An animal that has been hit and injured may crawl off somewhere to die, and a dead animal may simply be tossed in a garbage can. There have also been instances in CV of vicious dogs killing cats and carrying them home. And there are some very crazy people who "hoard" animals, though I personally have not encountered such a case in CV. But you never know.

No cat should be allowed to roam in a neighborhood like ours--and actually not in most neighborhoods. People who have cats that "bolt" when they see open doors need to be especially vigilant. Cats who roam tend to have short life spans; cats who live indoors can live to be 20. The SPCA, most vets, and all animal rescue groups will tell you this. It's a no-brainer: cats belong indoors.

I also have a "cat" peeve that many people in suburban areas share: cats that roam kill songbirds, which are already under threat from habitat degredation.


Emily


-----Original Message-----
From: Linda Forlifer <LEF at press.jhu.edu>
Sent: Jul 18, 2005 11:06 AM
To: Chat at charlesvillage.info
Subject: Re: [Chat] missing pets

One unfortunate possibility is that they are stolen to be used in
training dogs to fight.  I've been told of (and read about) this
happening near our neighborhood (Harwood).  You could talk to Vonnie
Gowe or Emily Chalmers about this.

It's safest to keep cats as indoor pets and dogs in your home when
they're not on leash walking with you.

Linda

>>> sarah at phloot.com 7/18/2005 10:11:07 AM >>>
I'm dismayed at the amount of missing pet posters I see posted every
week in CV, at least in the 2900-3100 blocks of Guilford, Calvert, and
St. Paul.  I've lived in 5 different cities across the country and have
never encountered this in other neighborhoods.  My youngest cat went
missing last November.  He vanished seemingly without a trace.  I walked
door to door for a week, talking to neighbors, passing out flyers,
searching alleys and trash cans, to no avail.

I'm normally not a conspiracy theorist (a popular occupation in CV, it
appears!), but I'm starting to wonder now.  Where do these pets go? 
I've never seen an animal control van in our area, so I don't think we
have an overactive animal control department picking up random animals. 
I don't see very many run-over animals on the street, so that doesn't
seem to be a problem.  And I have never found a carcass of a pet in an
alley.

Are the animals being stolen?  Taken to another neighborhood?  Hoarded
in basements?  Are the gutters/sewers notorious for trapping
unsuspecting animals?  Can I blame the CVCBD for this?  (just joking) 

Curious and a little saddened,
Sarah

===================
Sarah Andrew Wilson
www.phloot.com 
www.monkinstitute.org 
c 202.680.2420
w 202.364.7272

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