Inspiration Fairies

3 June 2001, Sunday

Are only the strong ones free ?

Only the animal lovers like you can understand the pain I have been writhing in for the last two days : my cat ' Foxy' is killed by the dogs.

The people who knows me knows well that I live with love and respect not only to cats but to all the animals in the nature. For this reason, it terrifies me to witness the barbarity and indifference some pet owners show to the animals that do not belong to their pet's familia.

Is the right to happiness that comes from feeling the warmth of the sun, running around on the grass, having the wind blowing in between the hairs given - as in the law of jungle 'the big ones eats the small ones' - only to the ones with the strongest jaw, the sharpest teeth and to the animals that run the fastest in the city surroundings ?

The dogs that I am talking about are not the poor defenseless street dogs who are scapegoats of every 'attack' news. I am talking about wild dogs that are very well fed, owned by someone and only kills for pleasure ! A boxer and a Rotweiller; owned by a semi-neighbour who I exchange greetings with whenever we come across...

Because I have heard stories about these two attacking many cats - some were chopped into pieces, some narrowly escaped death but got crippled... most unfortunately could not be rescued -, I was already terrified by them. Especially after their owners openly and comfortably told me the story of how the Boxer locates and chases cats, thus enabling them become an open target for the Rotweiller and how Rotweller 'finishes the business'.

I have heard this kind of dog machoizm stories lacking humanity from other barbarous people before; bragging ( ! ) ' our dog, praise be, destroyed all the cats in the garden, he eats the kittens in one bite'...listening to them made me ashamed of my own humanity... Why these people do nothing to train their dogs ? How can they accept the killing of cats so easily ? Man, if you are fully aware of your dog's habit, how come you dont move a finger to protect lives by making your dog wear muzzle.

"Foxy" In the most beautiful day of the summer sun, ran around on the grass in the garden, on and off blowing wind in between his long white hair tickled him, she ran to a flower then to a beetle, climbed trees. To recover from the pain of being locked up in the house during the long winter months, she climbed every tree in the garden, chased butterflies... May be, it was the happiest day in her life, who could have known it would be the last day ?

Now and then she was coming home, laying down, enjoying belly rubs from me, then returning back to the garden, to her butterfly chasing game. When I heard dogs growling behind the hedges, as a reflex , I jumped off the balcony to shoo the dogs away. Those walk dogs around there know me. I am a cat lover neighbour who shooes away their dogs. When the owner called the dogs and they backed off, a feeling forced me to look over the fence even though I had never done it before : Lifeless body of my Foxy, looking like a pile of cotton was laying on the grass. The owner of the dogs came when a loud scream rised from my throat. He saw my can't believe eyes fixated on the dead body of my cat. ' You scared me, I thought something happened'.. The death of my cat meant nothing to him. İ asked him to give my cat over the fence to me. He searched for a cloth on the ground, then grabbed her feet up as if she was a garbage, passed her to me. I hugged my Foxy and rushed to the Vet, only a few steps away. I needed to understand what happened : her spine was broken. It was certain that dogs killed her. The body of my cat was still warm. Her snowwhite body was covered with sticky weeds because of being shaked and thrown on the grass. She had just died.

When I came home, I kept the body of my cat on my lap and cried screaming for hours. I just could not put her to the grave in the garden. That night, when the owner of the same dogs came near to the garden fence with the dogs, I had a few words to tell him from my wounded heart : ' How many more cats have to die to stop your killer dogs killing cats ? What are you waiting for to end this ? ' I said.

He was so insensitive and stone hearted, ' You know about the antagonism between cats and dogs. What should I do ? My dogs need to wander around, run around without collars in order for them to decharge otherwise they will attack humans too. What can I do if you are not capable of protecting your cats ? ' he said.

Is the right to run around and play on a sunny garden to recharge only belongs to huge animals with strong jaws ? Should the weak ones always have to seek shelter, hide, sit in four walls so that they won't be in the way ?

There are many dog species known to be wild but still they can live in peace with cats, so how come some dog owners can live with their untamed dogs and small animals fall prey to them in such a loveless state.

Another dog owner who heard us ( He has a Doberman that never attacks to cats or any other living creature. When I heard of this I respected the owner and felt close to him ) ' What do you think we can do ? ' he asked. I believe it is possible to teach animals to love just like human beings. The trainers teach them thousand tricks and skills.They teach them to be aggressive and wild and are praised for it. Trainers should teach them to be peaceful and loving. Or if you have a dog known to be a killer, don't let him outside without a collar, or make him wear a muzzle to prevent him cause hurt and suffering.

I know that nothing can stop my pain; I had to bury my very young cat becuase a dog tought she was a plastic toy... Sadly, this man torments be everyday with his killer dogs at the edge of my garden. The same dreary end is destined for all the neightbourhood cats crossing his teeth path.

If we call out the dog owners and ask them to teach love of animals to their dogs instead of training them to be wild ? Can someone find a cure ?... Please...

Sedef Yılmabaşar Ertuğan

3 June 2001, Sunday