On Friday evening (December 21), people entering City Center mall noticed a mixed-breed dog shivering with cold. The dog was tied on a short leash to a post and standing on the concrete pavement. The temperature outside that day was minus five degrees.
One of the women was concerned about the dog’s fate and tried to warm it by stroking and cuddling it. People began gathering around the dog and commenting on its owner’s behavior.
After a dozen or so minutes, the owner came out of the store with his friends. He turned out to be a young man. As a reader told us, the boy was surprised by the people’s reaction. In response to the accusations, he said that a dog is not a human and is adapted to the cold. The young man looked like someone who liked his dog very much, but apparently lacked enough imagination to understand how badly his friend had been chilled and how much it was suffering because of it.
“Such a situation must not happen,” comments veterinarian Marta Surdyka. “Dogs should move around in freezing weather so they do not become cold. When they are forced to remain still (for example, tied on a leash), their paws can become frostbitten and their bodies can become chilled. Males can frostbite their testicles and scrotum. A dog can become seriously ill. During frosts, a dog going for a walk should have its paws protected by applying petroleum jelly. This protects the animal from the cold and from the salt spread on pavements and roads,” adds Marta Surdyka.
A lack of imagination cannot be made up for even by great love for a dog. The fact that a chilled animal will not complain and will happily run up to its owner does not take away its suffering or protect it from possible illness.
“If the man stripped down to his shirt and stood barefoot and motionless for just a moment in five-degree frost, perhaps he would understand what his dog feels,” says Anna Ryżewska, who has been helping animals for years.
It is not known what would help him understand the dog’s situation. Perhaps an exchange of roles, as Ryżewska suggests—the undressed owner tied to a post while the dog explores the warm mall. Or perhaps a serious conversation between the dog and its master would help? Today, on Christmas Eve, the dog should speak with a human voice and ask its person for more understanding and care.
(information: ii)