Meeting Postponed - Lying in Wait
I was on my way to the meeting yesterday and was just about to whip out my notes to clip them together while walking down the village street when who should I see approaching but the Local Councillor who I was supposed to be having the meeting with. I felt a bit embarrassed as there I was with my notes blowing in the wind and the clip in hand! Anyway he was all apologetic and said that he had asked his assistant to phone me to postpone the meeting till next week. I said that I hadn't received any message. He looked flummoxed at this stage but kept cool. He had to go to a band competition - apparently loads of bands were flying in from the mainland and it was 'vital' that he was there! I found myself promising him that I am not some mad foreign tourist looking for a fight but a respectable university teacher who has come to the end of her tether with the situation here - he was amused by this and assured me that he was taking me seriously! We planned to meet the following Wednesday and with a nod of his head, he was on his way. I was left feeling deflated and pissed-off - surely this was some avoidance tactic. Anyway, I went off to order a ready-cooked roast chicken and roast potatoes and couldn't help but think of the irony of doing that after a postponed meeting for the mistreatment of animals!
There was another encounter to come - I was walking back to my car carrying a very tasty smelling roast chicken when I met him again. He was talking on his mobile and signaled for me to wait for him. At that stage about 4 or 5 other people had gathered round to speak to him. He finished on the mobile and gestured to the other people that he was going to speak to me. He gave me his card and private e-mail address and told me that it would be best to meet next Thursday as the local council vet would be able to be present that day. The smell of the roast chicken was heavy in the air - then he said something that reassured me a little, he said that he would be leaving his Councillor position at the end of May and wanted the animal rights campaign to be up and running before he left - Please let this be so.
The situation with approaching the owner of the white dog is proving difficult. I have not been able to coincide with him - I have tested the waters with other neighbours who seem to think that the dog is perfectly ok and that it is fat and well-fed even if it is chained up 24 hours a day! Vladi, my husband also reminded me of an English girl who was killed in Tejeda, in the centre of the Island after denouncing the owner of some donkeys for mistreatment! I am not going to denounce this guy but thought that I could walk his dog for him - the only problem is that the minute I look the dog in the eye, I will want to save him from all dangers and will either dognap him or lie awake at night in midst of a nervous crisis! Yikes - what do I do?
There was another encounter to come - I was walking back to my car carrying a very tasty smelling roast chicken when I met him again. He was talking on his mobile and signaled for me to wait for him. At that stage about 4 or 5 other people had gathered round to speak to him. He finished on the mobile and gestured to the other people that he was going to speak to me. He gave me his card and private e-mail address and told me that it would be best to meet next Thursday as the local council vet would be able to be present that day. The smell of the roast chicken was heavy in the air - then he said something that reassured me a little, he said that he would be leaving his Councillor position at the end of May and wanted the animal rights campaign to be up and running before he left - Please let this be so.
The situation with approaching the owner of the white dog is proving difficult. I have not been able to coincide with him - I have tested the waters with other neighbours who seem to think that the dog is perfectly ok and that it is fat and well-fed even if it is chained up 24 hours a day! Vladi, my husband also reminded me of an English girl who was killed in Tejeda, in the centre of the Island after denouncing the owner of some donkeys for mistreatment! I am not going to denounce this guy but thought that I could walk his dog for him - the only problem is that the minute I look the dog in the eye, I will want to save him from all dangers and will either dognap him or lie awake at night in midst of a nervous crisis! Yikes - what do I do?
posted by Liz at 6:51 pm
7 Comments:
An interesting post - complete with the air filled with roasted chicken and potatoes. Thanks for the post.
Sam, thanks for stopping by and reading.
Liz
Hi Liz,
Funny enough I was watching an animal show last night on German tv and this animal protection lady came on and was talking about all the dogs in her shelter from Spain and how bad things are down there for dogs, etc etc, and how the Germans were going to save them (hee hee) and all I can say is that together with other things I've heard from German friends who have "brought home" Spanish dogs they "found stray" and malnourished or whatever is that is appears to be a cultural thing and you've got a bit of a fight ahead of you. well, as they say, "brighten the corner where you are." smile
Hi Sarah,
Thanks for that - it's interesting to hear the view from Germany...when I mention to my students that 90% of resettled pets are sent to Germany and Holland from here, they really find it difficult to comprehend and ask me 'Don't those countries have abandoned animals of their own?'!! or 'Don't they have pet shops?'!!
Yeah it's totally a case of trying to work local here - a friend suggested we chain ourselves somewhere to make the point : ) ...watch this space!! : )
Liz
Waaaah! How frustrating, Liz. Though I must admit, I love the story with the scent of chicken drifting through it.
It does sound largely cultural, so you might try to focus your energies on children - nabbing the next generation and getting them headed in the right direction might be easier than trying to change the adults who are already entrenched.
And just for a little perspective, I'll tell you that your chained up friend sounds far better off than any dog I ever saw on a reservation in Arizona. Rez dogs are basically wild. They roam at will and fend for themselves, have no healthcare, and are considered (by some at least) as throwaway creatures. When we were on survey we'd always beat a retreat to our cars if we saw any dogs coming. They are skinny to the point of emaciation and typically covered in ticks. You really don't want to be near one. I did have a friend who adopted a rez dog, though. It was a sweet little mutt, but rather 'off' mentally and turned out later in life to have serious health issues from the neglect it suffered early on.
Hang in there - I know you'll make a difference!
Thanks Sharon...yeah I know what you mean, unfortunately we've got those skinny hunting dogs here too - when they break free from their chains they're running around with a rusty chain dangling from their necks - one came into our garden the other day, I tried to feed it and then catch it but no way, it was petrified...a few hours later while on my way to work I saw it again on the motorway, I rang the dog pound but if it's a hunting dog they don't want to know as they're impossible to catch! It really is bandit country here!
Liz
Until one lives next to a chained dog, he/she doesn't understand the mental anguish involved in it...and it's so easy to say, well, if the dog has food and water, he/she is ok. But in truth we all must know that it is not ok if one has food/water. Dogs are the neediest animal on the planet, and as such not only crave human companionship, but truly NEED it to live any kind of a happy and satisfied life. You are absolutely right to obsess over the dog, Liz...it means you have a heart and a soul. Stick with it, those I see who are successful do NOT give up on getting the dog help, and go at it from all angles. Visit the site at http://www.dogsdeservebetter.org for any ideas. Tammy S. Grimes, founder, Dogs Deserve Better
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