The Face of Neglect

I regularly try to do my part in helping our local animal shelters spread the word about what it takes to be a responsible pet owner. This past week I met a yellow Labrador Retriever named Marley.

Despite his namesake's reputation, our Marley is not the world's worst dog. On the contrary, he may be one of the world's best dogs. He's approximately two years old. That means in his doggy experience life is still an adventure. He is beautiful and shiny, and always has a big smile on his face.

Sadly, our Marley is the face of what happens when an irresponsible owner has the gift of a wonderful companion. If our Marley had been neutered, chances are he would not have wandered away from home. Animal control picked this wonderful dog up as a stray. That also means he was not being adequately contained on the owner's property.

Our Marley has no known medical history. That means he has the potential to infect or be infected with contagious diseases that could result in his death. There are many reasons to believe he has likely never had veterinarian care.

This wonderful dog had no form of identification that would have resulted in his immediate return to his owner. At the very least all dogs should have a collar with identification tags. The only fool proof method of animal id is the micro chip. Collars can be lost and tatoos can be altered. A micro chip is permanent. All animal control agencies and shelters make it a habit to scan stray animals when they come in. Owners of micro chipped animals can be immediately notified and their pets are returned.

The worst neglect our Marley has endured is the lack of Heart Worm preventative. Our Marley is Heartworm positive. He is a wonderful, adoptable dog. He would make an exceptional addition to any family. His Heartworm status will be the biggest obstacle to his adoption. Any potential owner will have to be prepared to spend the extra money to treat him for a condition that could have been easily prevented.

It is so much easier for us to empathize with animal issues when we have a face to put with the problem. In this case, we have Marley to show us the tragedy of irresponsible pet ownership.

Our Marley is housed at the Sikeston Area Humane Society. For information on Marley, or any of the animals waiting for adoption, please contact the shelter at 573-471-4801. You can contact me at mscoy@netzero.com for information on pets available in other area shelters and rescue organizations.