Animal Abuse ???

Helena · #1 12/05/10, 09:37 PM

On another thread it was mentioned that some cows were being sold that looked as if they were not being cared for...Ok...if that is or isn't the case would the people in that area please call the local humane shelter..What is the problem with getting involved ???If the animals are fine..then no harm done. It is our responsibility to care for any anima that is in harms way...

RedneckPete · #2 12/05/10, 09:50 PM

Be real careful with that.

Having animal control come onto my property and poking around my buisness is a huge invasion of my privacy. If they investigate and find that I am the greatest animal owner ever, I still have had strangers sticking their noses into my family and property.

I don't like that. I don't like it if it is a know all neighbor or a police officer with a badge. You leave me alone, I'll leave you alone.

I pay my taxes, take care of my animals and live life my way. If you don't like that, that's fine. You have your life to live and your animals to take care of. You do it your way.

Pete

rambler · #3 12/05/10, 09:53 PM

There's a difference between 'thin' and 'abuse'.

Looks like things were done a little different there because they had different facilities, but don't think too many people see 'abuse' there. Probably not force feeding them to fatten them as fast as possible - looks more like they are on a low protien diet which keeps them healthy but thin and 'worthless' for butchering.

Sure as heck would not want to involve the law and kick up a stir on that. Sheez. Shame on a person for doing so. imho. Every parent should be in jail then if we want to look at every minute of every day of child or animal 'abuse'......

Be different if their were pictures of 'abuse'.

Mountain out of a mole hill. I think the issue there is that the cattle look different than how other people would be doing things. Not abused.

Room for other opinions or if someone actually knows more about the situation 1st hand, I can change my opinion, but certainly not on what I've seen.

--->Paul

springvalley · #4 12/05/10, 10:00 PM

As Pete has said becareful what you do, these cattle may not be mistreated we don`t know for sure. I have an old horse that is skin and bones, it is because he is old, not/not taken care of. And I will not haul him to a sale and have him killed in a slaughter plant in Mexico. I should have had him put down before winter but I didn`t. I never want to accuse someone of something until I know the facts, you may bring some bad carma on things in the neighborhood. Be carefull is all I`m saying. > Thanks Marc

arabian knight · #5 12/05/10, 10:02 PM

For sure and going on just what a Picture may show is NOT the best idea at all. Depending on many things pictures are not the best way to tell if a animal is "Abused" And being skinny is way different then being abused and carries a lot of meaning, but just saying a cow LOOKS like it is skinny in a picture, which 95% on here are saying no, they are not skinny. Many different types of monitors and how they are adjusted and how big they are, some, like me are on 20 inch or larger monitors of HD quality, show different things and people "see" a lot of things that are really not there, if their monitors are older and smaller etc. And making some phone call or some other communication is not really being responsible without knowing many other factors that would tend a person to believe they are abused.

Callieslamb · #6 12/05/10, 10:09 PM

I have friends that take in animals that have been abused. They county can only confiscate here if there is NO FEED. As long as there is feed they can do nothing.

What's wrong - if you feel an animal is being abused - with approaching the people yourself instead of asking a govt official to do it for you? If you are really concerned, you might ask the owner if they need help buying feed, etc. That is a way you could really help. lots of people are in a bad spot right now. They hardly need the govt visiting and adding to their troubles. Be a real neighbor.

pancho · #7 12/05/10, 10:41 PM

I am a strong believer in people minding their own business.
What might look like animal abuse to some people may not be what others call animal abuse. People raise animals for many different reasons. Animals raised for pets will be different than animals raised for slaughter.
If you raise pets do not expect people who make a living raising animals to take care of their animals the same way as you do.
Animals, just like people, are not more healthy when they are fat.

arcticow · #8 12/05/10, 10:57 PM

YOU say no harm done, but in many cases all that people want to hear is that someone was repoerted, they don't care if it's true or NOT. Reputations get ruined this way all the time... sorta like being ACCUSED of a sex crime even if you are totally innocent. Seriousness of the charges, and all that...

bigfoot2you · #9 12/05/10, 11:25 PM

Redneckpete : You took the words right out of my mouth!!

naturelover · #10 12/05/10, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helena

On another thread it was mentioned that some cows were being sold that looked as if they were not being cared for...Ok...if that is or isn't the case would the people in that area please call the local humane shelter..What is the problem with getting involved ???If the animals are fine..then no harm done. It is our responsibility to care for any anima that is in harms way...

Because in that other thread it was determined by the majority of the responding posters that those cows were not abused or starving. I concur with that, they look fine.

You shouldn't be asking other people to get involved when it's already been determined the animals are healthy, and it's nobody's elses business, what would be the point?

.

Jackie · #11 12/05/10, 11:52 PM

God no! The cows are MORE than fine. It's NOT ok to call the authorities on someone unless you KNOW. My friend had the SPCA called on her because her horses got away and one looked like it was going to have a foal any day in winter (she was just fat. I promise) and the other had arthritis. That was it. The SPCA showed up when she wasn't home and looked around a bit. She has 200 head of sheep and the watering system is hidden behind the barn and the hay was way out in the pasture. The lady didn't SEE any hay or water...because she wasn't about to walk around in the corrals...so she had to put on her report that there was no hay or water SEEN. For real. So even though everything was totally fine, my friend still has a report out there somewhere that states there was no food or water SEEN. Not something anyone wants.

Its not ok for someone to call the authorities on someone just because they took a picture of their cow when it was peeing and not when it was standing straight. It's just not. It's time for common sense to make a comeback.

Jackie · #12 12/05/10, 11:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by pancho

Animals, just like people, are not more healthy when they are fat.

Thank you!! Just because we are used to seeing fat packed on a cow doesn't mean its good for it. Not at all. I personally keep my dogs a bit on the thin side because its BETTER for them. Fat dogs are dogs that die early. I would be some mad if someone called the SPCA on me just because my dogs are not rolling in fat.

Beeman · #13 12/06/10, 12:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Helena

On another thread it was mentioned that some cows were being sold that looked as if they were not being cared for...Ok...if that is or isn't the case would the people in that area please call the local humane shelter..What is the problem with getting involved ???If the animals are fine..then no harm done. It is our responsibility to care for any anima that is in harms way...

Humane shelter? We have no animal control. I've had to catch and pen up a donkey that had been loose for monyhs. Then it was now my problem to find it a home. Not an easy thing to do with a jack. The sheriffs dept. told me to shoot it, but off the record told me to shoot it in the road so the highway dept. would come and pick it up. Too far from the road and it was my problem or whoevers property it dropped ons problem.

Sammy · #14 12/06/10, 05:09 AM

Like everyone else has said, I agree.

HappyFarmer · #15 12/06/10, 05:42 AM

I edited my post because it wasn't a very nice one.

Without knowing the facts or being familiar with the species or details things aren't always as they seem. Our society tends to like FAT things, as can be seen in our children. This is not a good thing. Added that some pets can live to be 30 or so years old, and start to show their age, and walla you have a thin animal that is still able to get around fine with a specialized diet. I liken that to getting rid of G'ma because she doesn't get around as well as she once did.

The contact information is there for all to see. If you feel these animals are abused why don't YOU contact animal control, despite many stating they are not abused based on the photo? All I'm saying is that judgement should be made with the facts and not just because one is ill-informed.

HF

tyusclan · #16 12/06/10, 06:10 AM

There are also cases of people falling on hard times, and no longer being able to feed the animals properly. The owners may be selling them because they can no longer afford to feed them. It always possible that the animals may have lost some before they were sold because the owner thought he might turn things around before he had to sell them.

There are dozens of (legitimate!) reasons for animals to be on the thin side. Unless there is OBVIOUS abuse we need to MYOB.

mountainlaurel · #17 12/06/10, 06:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by springvalley

As Pete has said becareful what you do, these cattle may not be mistreated we don`t know for sure. I have an old horse that is skin and bones, it is because he is old, not/not taken care of. And I will not haul him to a sale and have him killed in a slaughter plant in Mexico. I should have had him put down before winter but I didn`t. I never want to accuse someone of something until I know the facts, you may bring some bad carma on things in the neighborhood. Be carefull is all I`m saying. > Thanks Marc

We did the same thing and the SPCA came out three different times for the same horse. We had to show them his teeth and what we feed him but they didn't want to see anything else. They were actually very polite about the situation but still, we were trying to keep the old horse from going to the glue factory. We were able to work with a local equine dentist who has a school where students come from all over the world to learn equine dentistry and they got the teeth up enough that we sold the horse to an older lady.

Michael W. Smith · #18 12/06/10, 07:03 AM

Hmmmmmmm. I have mixed feelings on this. The problem is that some people's opinion of "abuse" is different.

I know of an older guy who had several cows, but one old one was all skinny and boney. I think someone may have called animal control on him - not sure or not - but I DO KNOW several people mentioned it to the vet in our area.

The said cow was just an old cow that the old guy couldn't get weight on it for whatever reason - the vet had actually been out to see it. I suppose the old guy could have "babied it" and fed it extra high protein feed, but is THAT really abuse that the cow had feed and was thin? The other cows in with it were just fine.

Is it "abuse" if the cows don't have any shelter at all - an old barn to get in? Some people think so, but other's don't. Some breeds are extra hardy in cold weather (like Scottish Highlands) and really don't care if they have a shelter to get under or not.

As in the above case - what if the shelter is just a lean to? Some people would view that as inadequate - thinking the cows need a barn they can actually get into. Other people feel a lean to is just fine.

My sister thinks keeping dogs chained up outside is "abusive". She keeps her dog inside her house - in a crate while they are at work or when go to bed. Is her dog "abused" because it's kept in a metal crate in the house? Some people would think so.

I have 4 outside dogs of which 3 are chained up. One is a Black Lab, one is a German Sheperd mix, and one is a Pit Bull mix. The 3 chained up are fat by vet's standards. But like I said - my sister thinks keeping a dog chained up is abusive - but yet she keeps her dog in a crate in the house when not home or they are in bed.

What is "abuse"?

NickieL · #19 12/06/10, 07:10 AM

Then there is the other side of a coin, when an animal(s) IS abused, and nobody speaks up because they are minding their own business and not caring and that animal suffers so long and eventually everyone wonders "why didn't anyone say anything?" Same with a lot of child abuse issues....

Tana Mc · #20 12/06/10, 07:10 AM

I know a guy that bought horses at a sale. The horses were in pitiful shape and he was being a good guy and intended to "rescue" them. He hauled them home, called the vet who came out the next day and gave them all kinds of treatment. The new owner put out a large round bale because it was winter and so they would have constant access to hay. He worked full time but came by morning and night to give them grain and check on things. He had owned the horses less than 10 days before someone called the Humane Society who called the media. Local newspaper put him on the front page and the internet and the local TV station did a huge story. Even tho the pictured were of the horses standing eating at the hay bales,the vet vouched for him and he had the paperwork showing that he had just bought them, huge public outcry had the sheriff out and a rescue organization from a big city 250 miles away removed the horses and pressed charges. He was vilified and treated terribly everywhere he went. Court date came and the judge took one look at the pictures, paperwork and heard testimony from the vet and farrier and tossed it out. The rescue group called him and told him that he could drive 250 miles and get his horses and pay a HUGE feed and boarding bill. He told them to keep them. The newspaper did not print a retraction and the TV people were not interested in setting the record straight. His business suffered to the point that he closed it and had to move.