Animals feel pain, just like humans!

Published: March 25, 2007 10:37 pm

Adoption counselor: Animals feel pain, just like humans

By Amelia A. Pridemore
Register-Herald Reporter

Five dogs and two cats went to loving homes at the Raleigh County Humane Society Saturday, and Jim Kenney, adoption counselor, was celebrating seven victories.

However, his heart was heavy as he thought about animals in Raleigh County that recently suffered violent deaths.

Thursday afternoon, Raleigh County sheriff’s deputies searched for the person responsible for shooting at a man in his yard and killing his dog in Bolt. Slightly more than an hour later, Beckley police were investigating the shooting and mutilation of a cat in the process of giving birth, killing both the mother cat and her kittens. Juveniles are suspected in the latter case at Lewis-Ritchie Apartments.

“It’s really shocking that there are juveniles that would be so callous and do that to a living creature,” Kenney said. “If that was an adult that shot the dog, other juveniles would believe it is OK to treat animals that way. That sends a horrible message to kids in this area.

“To think someone would be able to shoot a cat while it was giving birth — unbelievable.”

However, Kenney said that given his experience at the animal shelter, such acts do not surprise him. He estimates that on a weekly basis — at least — the animal shelter receives dogs and cats that have been starved and are near death. Some of these animals, even after receiving proper care, die. People will often move away and leave animals in their homes or tied up in the yard to die.

He said Raleigh County has a large problem with people abusing horses — starving them. If the owners are having trouble caring for the horses, he said, the horses can be sold at farmers market auctions and go to owners who will properly care for them. He encouraged anyone needing further information to call him at the animal shelter.

“Initially, you feel anger, but then it turns to sorrow for the animals,” he said. “They’re the ones who suffer.

“There’s a saying that really gets to me. It was written by the woman who wrote ‘Black Beauty,’ Anna Sewell. She wrote, ‘We may call them dumb animals, and so they are, for they cannot tell us how they feel. But they do not suffer less because they have no words.’

“Those people do not think animals have feelings, but they feel pain like we do. Sometimes, if they mistreat animals, they will also mistreat a person.”

Some of the situations do have happy endings, Kenney said. Some of the abused animals that arrive at the shelter manage to survive and find loving homes.

“We recently had some hounds in here, and the people moved away and left them tied up in the yard,” he said. “Two of them didn’t make it, but this one larger hound made it. A breed rescue took it, and they plan to find it a good home.

“That dog will think it died and went to dog heaven.”

Kenney said people will often come to the shelter for a new dog or cat after one dear to them has died. From some of their reactions, he imagined the owners of these animals killed must be grieving — and will do so for some time.

“It’s like a loss of a family member to most people,” he said. “They will grieve like they’ve lost a member of the family. For some people, it takes them years to get over the loss of an animal.”

apridemore@register-herald.com