By Kevin Morley
PLATTSBURGH, N.Y.—For about three years now, Ben Sokolovsky, has gone to
the Plattsburgh City Beach every Sunday, weather permitting, to play catch with his
dog Rocky. The dynamic between the dog and his owner is simple: Sokolovsky
throws and Rocky chases.
As the rope that, Sokolovsky crafted himself for specific soaring purposes
flies through the air, Rocky instinctively tracks down the object in stride. However,
there is something peculiar about the stride of Rocky. His front left leg buckles with
every step. This is a result of the neglect Rocky suffered prior to having Sokolovsky
as his owner. Although the catches between the owner and his dog are lively, they
have become shorter and shorter in recent weeks.
The American Society Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) recognizes
April as the Month for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, in order to raise
awareness of the issue. According to humanesociety.org, dogs are the more common
victims to animal cruelty, where 64.5 percent of cases involved canines. 25 percent
of those dogs were identified as pit bulls, just like Rocky.
Local shelters such as Elmore SPCA, located in Peru, deal with animals that
have been subjected to neglect and abandonment. According to their website, they
are currently holding 313 dogs alone, 243 cats and six birds. Although the entire
population of this shelter has not been affected by neglect, shelter manager, Rebecca
Burdo has witnessed the effects of the issue.
“Some people are just nasty,” Burdo said. “However, most of the cases we see
are due to a lack of care for the animal rather than abuse.”
In many cases, the neglect is a result of hoarding by the owner. This means
that the owner of the animal has taken on the responsibility of more pets than he or
she can handle. As a result, the animals are malnourished which often leads to
emaciation, where the animal enters a state of being abnormally thin.
This was the case for Rocky. The buckle in his front left leg is a result of
muscle loss from malnourishment. Unfortunately, no veterinarian was able to fully
rehabilitate the leg of the now eight-year- old pit bull. Although Sokolovsky is
saddened by how Rocky was treated before adopting him, it does not stop him from
having a positive outlook on the situation.
“He’s a fighter anyways,” Sokolovsky said. “That’s why I named him Rocky.”
For dogs under similar circumstances as Rocky, the journey from being taken
into the shelter to being released to a home can be a long and tedious one.
According to Article 26 of the Agriculture and Markets Law relating to Cruelty to
Animals, if an animal is subjected to neglect or cruelty, a law officer must bring them
in. At this point, they are considered evidence and must go through the court
system before they can be touched or seen by anyone besides a veterinarian.
According to Burdo, this can sometimes take months.
After the court date passes, the animal is then eligible to be place in a home.
The time this process takes usually depends on the temperament as well as the
breed, when it comes to dogs specifically.
Although dogs may be the most common victims to animal cruelty, wildlife
animals are also struggling, but in different ways. Donna Fletcher, one of the
rehabilitator’s at Elmore, specializes in fawns. For years, Fletcher has been helping
injured fawns return to the wild by easing them into the wilderness. She does so by
putting them in a preliminary enclosure prior to actually entering the forest to
assimilate. Fletcher marks the deer with an ear tag, so she can later see which ones
went on to raise families and fend for themselves.
The fawns are not being physically harmed by anyone in particular or
necessarily neglected in this case, however, new regulations that are being
negotiated by the Department of Environmental Conservation could put the young
deer at risk. The proposal if passed, will make it a law that rehabilitators like
Fletcher will no longer be able to accept wildlife further than 20 miles from her
enclosure.
“It’ll be a shame if the DEC passes that,” Fletcher said. “There are going to be
a lot of fawns that aren’t going to have a safe place to go anymore.”
Fletcher will no longer work with fawns this year as most of her land has
been taken over by poachers.
The SPCA’s mission is, “To provide shelter and comfort to animals in need
that are on their path to finding loving lifetime homes.” Their care is not limited
strictly to neglected dogs like Rocky; it is shared equally from fawns and foxes to
domestic dogs and cats. Every animal deserves a safe place to call home.
As we leave April behind us this calendar year, it is important to remember
the importance of putting a stop to animal cruelty. Mike O’Donnell a student at SUNY
Plattsburgh recognizes this important issue weekly as he volunteers his time to
walk dogs at the Elmore shelter over this past year.
“You know you’re doing something good because some of those dogs were
either abandoned or mistreated,” O’Donnell said. “It’s nice that they can come to a
place like this to feel love. It’s a privilege to walk them.”
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