ANIMALS ARE PEOPLE TOO


By

Wendy D. Gates



Pets have become a very important part of many people's lives. They play many different roles throughout the world. Some are working pets and help us on farms or are service animals and help the disabled. Some are cops or some sniff out drugs and even cancer. It is said that an ordinary household pet or companion animal can reduce stress for its owner. This helps the owner live a long and healthy life. What would we do without them? There are many organizations out there that protect these very animals. The humane society, CHEETA, and even those animal cops you see on television to name a few. Animals don't have a voice and need someone to fight for them.

Why? Animals are people too. Now that may sound like a dumb statement. However, animals have feelings just like us. Many people don't think so and say they have no souls. But think about it. If an animal wakes a family from sleep when the house is on fire or travels for miles to get home to their family when they are lost, aren't they thinking? If they are thinking, don't they have a soul? Yes!There have been many chimpanzees who have been taught to sign. The only difference between a chimp and a dog or horse is that the dog or horse doesn't have hands. If they are taught, they do learn. They get excited, they get depressed, and they even get bored. Most importantly, they love. Some people abuse these very animals. They neglect them or beat them or even make them fight. Many people leave them behind when they move. For those reasons, organizations had to be created to protect them.

Abusing an animal is against the law. But some places don't enforce these laws. If a dog is shot, it may be taken in by a rescue group, but the shooter goes unpunished. Sometimes it is not even rescued , but left to die because it's too much trouble to save it. A dog that has been left to fend for its self can be dangerous. It can run with other strays it finds along the way and attack young children playing in a yard. It can destroy property while looking for food. It can kill small animals on a farm. There are much stricter laws about the treatment of children than there are for mistreated pets. A adult dog has the intelligence of a three year old child. Would a child be left to die? No way! Shouldn't there be organizations and laws in every state that care for these animals? Wouldn't it make the world a better and safer place? So do some research. Find out if there are organizations like these in your area. If there aren't help your community by getting one started. Make a difference. It's up to all of us!

Pets Are People Too

  Did you ever come home from work and find your dog sitting by the door,waiting? Where you ever upset or depressed and found comfort in the furry friend lying beside you? If you answered "yes" to either of these, you may be just like many others out there. Many people have found their pets to be true members of their household. They console us when we are sad. They are a true stress reliever. They worry about us when we are sick, never leaving our side. They grieve us if we go away or die. They play with our children and protect us. What would we do without them.
    Despite the role that pets play in our lives, people often abuse them They think it's o.k to leave them out in the cold without food and water. They think it's o.k to kick and hit them. Some even think it's o.k to fight them. Yes, it's true! Some people think that it is not animal abuse to fight their dogs! They may think it's only a dog or a cat. They don't think or feel as humans do. Maybe not. But have you ever seen your dog lie on your bed with his head on your pillow? He looks like he's trying to copy you, doesn't he? Have you ever heard the stories of dogs, cats too, that save their families by waking them in the middle of the night because their house was on fire? So the next time you see an animal being mistreated, do something! Pets Are People Too!

Has Money Become More Important Than Family?

  In the past couple of years, the economy of the United States has suffered a terrible blow. The Unemployment rate remains at an all time high at around 10%. Many families have suffered because of layoffs, businesses closing down, and reduced product demand. Some of these families are living on unemployment or on a single income. Others have no income at all.  Words  like foreclosure and food stamps have become commonplace in many households. What affect does this have on us and our children?
  Many single parent households are not surviving at all. They are forced to move in with other family members or friends. They are reduced to part time jobs where they suffer from a significant reduction in pay. Many times, they work two or more part time jobs to try to get by. The same goes for two parent households. All of the burden is placed on the "bread winner" while the unemployed member searches endlessly for any type of employment possible. You can only look so long before you get discouraged and give up. What if something  major breaks down  like the car or the furnace? What if the working family member gets sick? Then they may lose the one income they have.
  Mentally, this takes a toll on everyone.. Children as well as the adults in the family begin suffering from stress. There are the constant phone calls from creditors. The constant threat of losing their home is always lurking over them. Things like new clothes for school or a child's extracurricular activities can send parents  into a panic! Children feel embarrassed because they may be about to be homeless.  They may feel neglected because mom and dad  are gone all of the time and working two or more part time jobs. But they are still always broke.They may hate the many arguments that seam to have crept up in their house. Many families do not survive this kind of stress and the parents end up divorcing. Think about the long term affects this could have on the average American family. Scary,isn't it?

What You Didn't Know About Middle Age

     Did you ever think that you would  start falling apart so early?  I mean think about it. Once you hit middle age, which is about forty nowadays, things start disappearing one by one. Your eye sight is usually the first to start going. You are forced to wear not just glasses, but glasses with bifocals. "Oh my God! This really means I'm getting old!"You scream inside your head when the doctor tells you the news! Then you look in the mirror one day and see this droopy face looking back. Your face has a kind of bulldog appearance because gravity has pulled your face downward. Your eyes have dark circles and bags under them! You suddenly miss the young looking skin and the vibrant way you used to look. You have almost taken  on the look of a gruesome character from a Halloween movie!                                                                                Have you also noticed the way everyone is commenting on your gray hair?  "Are you going gray?"  "It's about time to color your hair, isn't it?" Are you kidding me? Why do they feel compelled to say things like that? Maybe I like my gray hair. Maybe I don't want to color it. After all, I have earned every gray hair and wrinkle I have. Shouldn't I wear them proudly?
    Then there's the aches and pains. You felt them in your thirties, but over looked them. Now, your back aches, your hands ache, and you feel more run down more often. Heart burn is becoming your nighttime partner. So you don't sleep as well. If you are already falling apart now, what's going to happen when you ARE old?