Caged dog

On my regular walks with Rusty, I come across all sorts of dogs in the neighbourhood. Most of them live a good life except for an active jack russell in a terrace house down the hill.

That is one of the most unkempt houses in the entire estate. All kinds of junk and construction equipment are strewn in the backyard. And if you peer through the clutter, you will see a little dog in a small metal cage. Actually, you don't have to look very hard because this excitable dog will bark, jump and twirl about in that tiny space he calls home.

His companion, a larger-sized mongrel which doesn't share a similar fate as him, will then dash out from the gaping hole in the kitchen door towards the fence to create a rukus. Both dogs will bark so loudly, all the dogs in the neighbourhood will join in the cacophony.

My heart goes out to the smaller one because whilst he's the same breed as Rusty, he leads a really different and difficult life.

Home is a tiny cage barely twice his size. As if that's not enough of a torture, it sits in the open yard, exposed to the hot sun and rain. I imagine the metal cage must be burning hot under the scorching heat. Many times I've peered through the broken back door to find a pair of feet shuffling about in the spartan kitchen but I've never seen anyone feeding or tending to the dogs in the yard.

I wrote to the SPCA about the caged dog but didn't receive any acknowledgement from them. One day, I realised the cage and dog had been moved into the kitchen. Though the dog was no longer exposed to the elements, he was still being caged up. Jack russells are very energetic and require lots of exercise. It must have been a torture to be locked up all day and night.

While walking past the backyard last week, the little jack russell came dashing to the fence, barking incessantly at Rusty. It sure is a hyper and yappy little thing but I wasn't at all annoyed. In fact, I was so happy to see him free at last.

Today I received an email from an inspector at SPCA saying that he had visited the owner after receiving my letter. However in another visit, he couldn't find the dog in the front or backyard. Hence, he wanted to know if I had seen the dog around.

I reported my latest observations and assured him that I will continue to keep an eye on this doggie. To be honest, I haven't gone by that area for several days now, he could have escaped and found a better home, who knows?

Well, I'm relieved that the SPCA has taken action. Pets rely on their owners to care for them, so we must always treat them right.