June 2008 - Featured Articles

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Animals Have The Right Priorities
By Aly Seymour

We completed lambing at the end of March. Every year is different, and this year we had the smallest and largest lambs born I've ever seen! The little guy I named "Nano", and although he needed some early TLC, being the second of four, he is doing fine and holding his own with his big brothers. The large lamb was an only child and continues to grow exponentially!

I reckoned it was too early to consider much garden-wise (smart thinking this year!) so I offered my services as a census enumerator. It was a great excuse to get out and check other people's yards, but what it really provided me with was a snap-shot of rural pets.

Most farms and acreages have a dog, at least. To the unwary or unwilling they offer a number one line of security. Sometimes the smaller dogs are the more vocal and "can't be had", but more often than not they are pleased to see a visitor to the property once they establish you are not a threat. They bounce around with great enthusiasm sniffing for the healthy doggie treats in the car. Then they check the message centre - all four tires have to be investigated and messages passed on. Interestingly enough, if there were cats around, too, they would come and check the tires. With several pats on the head and a reassurance that I wasn't there for the wrong reasons, they would plonk themselves down and continue to watch what I was doing. On a repeat call to the house they would recognize the vehicle right away and not bother to bark.

We rely on animals in our daily lives even if they don't actually live in our house. Think of dogs trained for the deaf, the blind, the epileptics, the autistics, as well as police dogs, search and rescue dogs and drug-sniffer dogs. More and more uses for this wonderful animal are found every year. It's not only that they have these wonderfully skilful noses, but they also have a much simpler and more relaxed way of looking at life. They don't harbour resentment about what you did or didn't do. They don't want to go back to the good old days. They don't worry about money, taxes or possessions. All they need is respect, affection, food and water and if we are responsible caregivers to our pets that is what they get. In return you get a lifetime of total devotion.

As we have sadly seen over the last year some people have no respect for animals, but our penalties for causing unnecessary suffering don't seem to be a sufficient deterrent.

In the U.K., people found guilty of an animal offense can face a 6-month jail sentence and a fine of up to $40,000 - a significant financial penalty that makes it a wiser decision to care properly for our pets, be they farm animals or house pets. And proper care means adequate shelter, water and appropriate food. Some appreciation for the job they all do doesn't go amiss. Animals are just like us - only without the mind games!

Aly Seymour is the owner of Tail Blazers - a Health Food Store for Pets located in Red Deer. For additional information please visit her website at www.tailblazerspets.com