The unfortunate truth in third world countries is – not everyone knows how to care for animals.
And the usual pushback to that statement is: ‘Then those who don’t know how to care for animals shouldn’t have any.’
The reality is – people who don’t know how to look after animals still have them, unless they have a criminal record against them for animal abuse.
Welfare organizations can only go so far – they don’t have the resources or manpower to educate each and every single person who doesn’t know how to look after an animal. Which brings me to my next point:
Those who can and have the patience and resources available to them, should go out to places that need the education to educate.
The first thing to note is that you will most likely have to use very basic language to get the person you’re talking to to understand how to care for an animal. You’re going to have to be non-aggressive in your manner and body language – otherwise you’ll either have a very hard time getting through to them, or they’ll shut you out and down completely.
Understand that some people have got no concept of what love is, and who haven’t been treated as a being with feelings, so how would they know how to care for an animal if they haven’t been treated well themselves?
You’ll need to get the very basic things right – things like food, water and shelter. Those are the most important things. Also – is the animal able to roam? Is there proper fencing to keep the animal in the yard? All these things need to be addressed. Keep in mind that some people don’t have fencing, where they need to keep their animal on a running chain.
I know not everyone agrees with this – but that is the reality of the situation.
One other point to address is veterinary care. Another reality to take into account is that not everyone can afford veterinary services. The best solution in this case is to educate – and to also state what could happen if they have an injured or sick animal that can’t be taken to a vet.
One last point to take into consideration, is that you will need to gain people’s trust before taking on a task like this. Storming in, being aggressive, calling people names isn’t going to solve the issue. People will be more likely to take in what you have to say if you do things in a nice way and in a non-judgemental way.
As always, please always practice responsible pet ownership.
Blog Post By Your Pet Caring Friend,
Carmen Harris.