
April is Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Month.
While I believe that we should be working toward this goal all
year long, it is worthwhile to have a recognized and dedicated
month to bring issues surrounding animal cruelty to the front
mind. Especially for some people who never give the innocent
victims of cruelty a thought.
What do you think of when you hear the phrase animal
cruelty?
I think of hart hero's who have taught us firsthand about the
suffering that neglect and abuse causes:
Darby came to hart with a collar embedded in her neck.
Someone had attached a collar when she was a pup and it was
never adjusted as she grew. By the time hart located her she
was having trouble breathing and her neck was an infected
mess. Unfortunately, Darby had a canine buddy who was
also suffering but despite our efforts we could not find him to
help.

Volunteers actually witnessed Saige being thrown out the door
and down the front stairs of her home. The shaken volunteers
convinced the owner to surrender Saige on the spot so they could
bring her into care.

Out on a different rescue, hart volunteers came across a new
litter being cared for by their emaciated mom. Taking shelter
under a front porch, with no access to food and water, her coat
matted and crusted with fecal material Phoebe could barely hold her
head up. She was giving everything she had to her pups and
she had nothing left to give.

Frozen, emaciated, cut and scarred Cinnamon was barely moving
when surrendered by her owner. Although she cannot tell us
what all she endured, we know by her physical scars that she was
not receiving hugs and smiles before her rescue.

Little Seela was a pup learning about the world when some awful
humans taught her a lesson that we will never forget. Tying
Seela up to a tree, an accelerant was poured on her head and lit on
fire. A horrified passer by risked her own safety to save
Seela.

Unfortunately, these are only some of our hart hero's. We
have many more stories to share.
No animals should go through the pain and suffering that these
dogs endured. It is shocking to think of the horrendous acts
of abuse that go unnoticed or unreported.
Let's work together so that we may have no more stories of abuse
and neglect to share. Let's make everyday about preventing
the suffering.