Herald-Sun editorial: Animals deserve proper treatment

One of the more famous quotes attributed to Mahatma Gandhi is: “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way in which its animals are treated.

I hold that the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man.”

The quote’s verification is in some dispute, depending on who you ask, and yet the widely quoted sentiment is a noble one. It came to mind this week when considering the story of Remy, a bulldog/Staffordshire puppy abused by her owner.

When found in July, Remy weighed less than 17 pounds at 8 or 9 months old, her ribcage visible beneath her emaciated frame in a photograph. She was apparently left on a tether to starve in a backyard, without food, shelter or water.

A neighbor reported the situation to sheriff’s deputies, who found Remy in the 2800 block of Owen Street in Durham, left outside for days, in 100-degree weather to boot.

“She was in really bad shape,” Deputy Paul Sherwin said. “You can see that by how little she weighed. We brought her to the APS (Animal Protection Society of Durham).”

“We gave her lots of food, lots of love and good medicine,” shelter director Shafonda Davis. “When she came to us, she was so starved, a very shy, scared little dog. We fed her many times a day and put her on a socialization and walk schedule. She’s doing really well now.”

Remy was still available for adoption as of this writing; more information can be found at http://www.apsofdurham.org/remy/. She now weighs a healthy 42 pounds.

Laquita Renee Brown pleaded guilty in the case to misdemeanor cruelty to animals, and received a suspended sentence and was ordered to pay restitution of more than $1,200.

The sheriff’s department has established a new Animal Services Division that fields calls about mistreated dogs. Sherwin said that the division is very busy, and is dealing with a backlog of calls – an unfortunate situation, but setting up this division will hopefully have a positive impact on the plight of those abused animals.

Not every person is an animal lover, but situations like this are everyone’s problem. Dogs that are tethered or left outside for long periods can become extreme nuisances for their neighbors. Dogs that are not properly socialized can prove dangerous, particularly if they are not restrained sufficiently.

Beyond those practical matters, we should strive to treat animals as well as we can.