Michael Commane
Last week two men were jailed in Northern Ireland in connection with a cruel and savage attack on a family pet dog. One of the men pleaded guilty to setting Cody, the three-year-old border collie, on fire in August 2012.
At the time the story made the national headlines. And why wouldn’t it. It’s hard to believe that someone could be so cruel to a pet dog.
It so happens that over the last few weeks I have been regularly disturbed by barking dogs in a neighbouring garden. And to tell you the truth, they were getting on my nerves. If my dog started barking I’d be very embarrassed and not sure what I would do.
About two weeks ago I heard a dog crying in the middle of the night. I presumed it was the dogs in the neighbouring garden but the next morning, to my great surprise I discovered it was Tess, my dog.
I went to take her for an early morning walk and just as I put the lead on her she yelped. And she had no interest at all in going for a walk. Usually she bounds out of the garage and I have trouble getting the lead on her. This morning all she wanted to do was hug the side of my leg.
A quick call to the vet and the two of us are on our way. I was in an awful state. Driving to the vet she was sitting in the passenger seat. At one stage I went to rub her head and again another cry from her. Her labrador droopy eyes were crying for help. It certainly was not easy to concentrate on driving.
When I arrived at the vets Tess was unable to get out of the car so I had to get the experts to come and carry her out of the car.
The 10-minute wait before the vet called us was like an eternity. I had decided it was something to do with her brain and that it was very serious. After a thorough examination the vet assured me it was a muscular problem and that Tess would be fine after a few days and some medication. The vet told me that labradors are prone to this particular ailment.
When I arrived at the vets Tess was unable to get out of the car so I had to get the experts to come and carry her out of the car.
The 10-minute wait before the vet called us was like an eternity. I had decided it was something to do with her brain and that it was very serious. After a thorough examination the vet assured me it was a muscular problem and that Tess would be fine after a few days and some medication. The vet told me that labradors are prone to this particular ailment.
Have I been mollycoddling her! A friend suggested I put a hot water bottle in her bed at night. Not only am I putting it in at night but I also put in one before leaving for work in the morning.
As I write this she is still not back to her robust self.
To say that a dog is a man’s best friend has indeed cliché status but certainly I have been more or less amazed at how I have reacted to her illness.
As a child growing up there was always a dog in our home. My father, who was the gentlest of men, was forever saying that people who are unkind to animals will most likely behave accordingly with humans
Indeed, it’s something I often observe.
Dad was spot on.
When the judge in the Northern Ireland case spoke about the cruelty that was meted out to Cody and subsequently banned the perpetrator from owning a dog for 30 years there were cheers and clapping from the public gallery. Indeed, an online fund, set up by well-wishers of Cody, has raised €38,000 for animal shelters in Northern Ireland and the Guide Dogs Association.
The bad news will always make the headlines. That’s the way of the world. But surely our hope is always placed in the core decency of people.
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