Did Roxy die in vain?

Life Animal Adoptions & Emergencies
1

Some of you know the story of what i have been trying to do with several dogs owned by a man who keeps them in terrible dirty conditions and on a chain. Well recently someone has been putting poison down and 3 of the dogs have died.

Yesterday my own dog Roxy died too. I had her autopsied and the vet said that it was probably rat poison by the looks of things.

I have cried myself silly and i blame myself completely, there is no one else to blame. I should have kept a better eye on my own dogs. When i go to the bottom of the mountain i let my dogs off the lead as they will never go far from me and then start letting the other dogs off their chains. Then we all walk up to the mountain together.

I can’t help but think to myself if i had not started this hero thing, then Roxy would still be alive today. She was only 3 years old and didn’t deserve to die. She was a lively and friendly dog whom everyone loved. I miss her so much.

My question is, did she die in vain. There are 5 dogs left. I have taken one in, my friend has taken 2 for the time being and there are 2 left with the guy. I want to get them all adoped into safe homes. This won’t bring back my Roxy, but i dont’ want her death to be for nothing.

Boxer - Black and white male dog. very friendly. Knows his name and is just a little excitable, but that could just be because he is always on a chain.

Tyson - Black and white male dog. Smaller than Boxer and very friendly also. He also knows his name and can be a little shy/scared of strangers.

Petal - Female black / brown and white. She is a loving dog, but is a little shy and scared of strangers. She has the most loving eyes.

Sunshine - Female black dog. She seems the most afraid of the bunch. She comes when calls but then crawls on her stomach like she is expecting to get shouted at or hit. She is quite thin and has a few scars on her face.

Moody - Brown male dog. He has a wild look in his eye and needs a firm hand. He is very lively and likes to play bite. He is a good dog, but looks a little scary.

They are all between 3 - 5 years old. They have all been neutered/spayed, vaccinated, de-fleaed, and de-wormed.

Please if you know of anyone who would like a dog or you could help spread the word or put thier profiles up on a website for adoptions please pm me. I can send you photos of them very soon through email.

Thank you

2

Sorry for your loss, bikerchic, but I think it’s amazing how much you care for these animals. By comparison anyone else I’ve ever met is an animal Hitler, myself included. So no matter what happens you have no reason to feel bad about anything. What matters, at least in terms of morals, isn’t results but intention. Good luck finding homes for those dogs.

3

I’m so sorry to hear your dog died. Rat poison causes internal bleeding and the antidote if you catch it in time is vitamin K.

Whoever is putting the poison down must surely be breaking the law. It could be picked up and eaten by children.

4

So if you keep Vitamin K around that will save your pet?
Is that a special animal version, or in which form do you buy it?
Somebody is poisoning the cats in my neighbourhood.

5

So if you keep Vitamin K around that will save your pet?
Is that a special animal version, or in which form do you buy it?
Somebody is poisoning the cats in my neighbourhood.

6

UKbikerchic, I’m sorry to hear about Roxy. Keep up the good work though.

7

sorry to hear about your dogs

Vitamin K will not reverse most cases of coumarin poisoning in any meaningful way. Vit K does assist your blood to clot, and may help reverse some of the symptoms of rat poisoning by the morre mild anticoagulant poisons, but they are pretty much ineffective against the more common 2nd generation coumarins like brodifacoum and bromadiolone which kill rapidly and after a single dose (and are obviously the ones to use if you want to kill a dog or a cat, or yourself).

and another point, vit K does absolutely nothing to reverse the effects of other animal poisons like 10-80, fluoride, or cyanide, all of which are less commonly used to control rats but easily obtained.

8

[quote=“UKbikerchic”]Some of you know the story of what I have been trying to do with several dogs owned by a man who keeps them in terrible dirty conditions and on a chain. Well recently someone has been putting poison down and 3 of the dogs have died.

Yesterday my own dog Roxy died too. I had her autopsied and the vet said that it was probably rat poison by the looks of things.

I have cried myself silly and i blame myself completely, there is no one else to blame. I should have kept a better eye on my own dogs. When i go to the bottom of the mountain i let my dogs off the lead as they will never go far from me and then start letting the other dogs off their chains. Then we all walk up to the mountain together.

I can’t help but think to myself if I had not started this hero thing, then Roxy would still be alive today. She was only 3 years old and didn’t deserve to die. She was a lively and friendly dog whom everyone loved. I miss her so much.

My question is, did she die in vain. [/quote]

The answer is absolutely not. Its a cruel world… there are cruel humans and nature is cruel… those of us, animals and humans, who go through life without many problems are unbelievably fortunate. What matters most, IMO, is the quality of life and love we experience while alive. I know you a bit and from what I know of you, you gave Roxy a tremendous amount of love and a high quality life. Sure, you could have kept Roxy on a lead… but, knowing dogs, I’m certain that you understand that Roxy just loved being off the lead and walking and running free with you and the pack. Ideally, this tragedy would not have occurred… but, tragedies occur all the time, everywhere. You gave Roxy a fantastic life and I’m certain that she loved her life. That’s all we can do, I think.

9

Well put. I agree completely.
I am really sorry to hear about Roxy, but I can see how blessed she was to have such a happy life with you. Her quality of life was obviously fantastic.
AND lotsa love! What more could a dog ask for?
:hubba:

10

Sorry for your loss.
My dog was poisoned also. For no real reason at all, and with no forewarning whatsoever about any displeasure my dog might have caused the perp of this kind of loathsome noxious cowardly deed.
That kind of wound stays deep in one’s psyche, but as Tigerman says: one has to remember the good times. Accentuate all that was positive.
Peace.

11

TheGingerMan i’m also so sorry about your loss. It is a very difficult thing to deal with. But you and Tigerman and everyone else who has been so kind to me is right, and i will and do remember the good times i had with Roxy and i know i gave her a very good home. I have 6 other dogs and 2 cats and i will do my best to keep them safe and give them the love that they deserve.

Peace to you as well and i hope it hasn’t put you off having dogs. I always wondered how i would handle the death of one of my animals as it is inevitable, and i have decided that i will continue to help as many animals as i can, so that all my animals can look down on me with pride when they eventually pass over.

Having animals in my life is one of the best things i have ever done, through the pain and the pleasure i wouldn’t change a thing.

12

UKbikerchicm, I’m really sorry to hear about this. What a terrible thing! I’m quite sure there is a special place in hell for people who torture other living creatures.

In answer to your question, “Did Roxy die in vain?”, I would have to say yes. Her death certainly served no higher purpose, and it won’t prevent other similar situations from occurring in the future. Sorry - I know that’s probably not what you wanted to hear. :frowning:

13

I disagree with Maoman.

There’s a higher purpose right there, cemented by the dog’s death.
On another note, there’s a yellow lab puppy yip-yip-yipping outside my gate. I believe she’s lost or dumped – she’s wearing a collar. Can’t do anything about her as I have to go to work in a few minutes.

14

[quote=“sandman”]I disagree with Maoman.

There’s a higher purpose right there, cemented by the dog’s death.[/quote]
Maybe. I doubt that the non-death of her pet would have prompted her to question what she was doing, and here she affirms that the death of her pet has changed nothing - she’s going to continue to help animals, just as she has been doing. I see status quo here. This is semantics, however, and I imagine she meant the question rhetorically.

15

i understand both sides of what you guys are saying, however my original post was to basically ask if Roxy’s death was 1. my fault 2. will anything be done about saving the other dogs that are up there (with this guy).

I will answer my own question, 1. in a way it was my fault. If i hadn’t started the crusade then maybe Roxy wouldn’t be dead, but then again maybe not. And if i had kept Roxy on a lead i could have prevented her eating something, but as tigerman pointed out, it is something i don’t believe in. I keep my dogs on the lead while on roads, but as i believe they are fairly safe in the mountains i let them off to let off some steam. To run like they were wild and enjoy life.
2. Yes something will be done about the dogs. I and a friend have taken photos. I will get posters made up, and i and friends will try our best to get these dogs adopted. 3 have been taken away from the area and this was prompted by Roxy’s death. So my Roxy could be the reason that 5 dogs find homes.

Of course in my perfect world, Roxy would still be with me ( in the flesh) and all the dogs up there would have great homes and the person who put poison down would accidently pick up the poison instead of salt or some other seasoning and die of self poisoning. But alas it isn’t a perfect world. So i have to do be best i can do with my two hands.

Roxy was a warning to me that life is very short and that we have to make the most of things and i have to 1. prepare myself for the day when my other animals will die. 2. make the animals around me have the best life i can give them

Maoman, i know what you were saying and i understand, but hopefully me calling the police (many times) has prompted them and the locals to do somethign about it. And maybe just maybe this WON’T happen again, at least in my area. Fingers crossed

16

Nothing is in vain, if one gains strength, wisdom, endurance, or fortitude.
Accidents & base evilness happen on a daily basis. There’s no use whinging about what might have been. It’s far more relevant to focus on the good what was.
History.
Past is Prologue.
Keep on Keepin’ On.
Yet, always Remember!

17

This is a message i recieved,

Sometimes dogs are on chains here for a reason. There are as you NOW know now many hazards in Taiwan that you will not face in England regarding dogs. These include snakes, poisonous toads, other dogs with infectious skin diseases, dangerous scooter drivers and as you now know poisons. As for was the death of your dogs your fault ? Well probably not entirely but partly yes. So to put it somewhat directly it is also sometimes best to mind one’s own business when it comes to other people’s dogs, especially when in a foreign country. Not all local people in Taiwan are as ignorant as it sometimes appears that you seem to think, when it comes to owning dogs. Dogs are often kept leashed for a very good reason ie POISON and other HAZARDS. You should perhaps concentrate on looking after your own dogs before going on missions against locals for the way they keep their dogs in their country.

You asked and I gave an opinion. So, no it wasn’t entirely your fault but maybe you have a small part of the blame yes. I’ve had dogs for many years here and have never had one poisoned. The worst was when one licked a toad and got temporary vomiting. So I suggest the take home lesson from this experience is that you concentrate on your own dogs first before going off on missions to save local dogs on “chains and in dirty conditions”.

18

This was my reply,

Yes wouldn’t the world be a better place if we all turned out back and minded our own business. I’m sorry I do not agree with you. Yes I know perfectly well that Roxy’s death was my own fault. But would I like my dog to live on a chain for the rest of her life, just so she is protected from the dangers out there. NO I don’t think so. Can i sit back and watch while there are dogs in my neigbourhood who live 24/7 out in the rain, sun, and wind, with food in pots that were used to mix paint and water that has god knows what in it but it’s green and other funky colors, where they have to stand and sleep in their own shit and piss. and have burns on their legs from standing in their own shit and piss. where their necks are red raw from the chains round their necks. If i can give these dogs a few moments of joy in their life each day, where their tails are waging and they are free to roam and enjoy a little of life then i will continue to do it. This man feeds these dogs out of a little bit of concious, but he doesn’t care about them, he cares about his neigbours and his life. He sits on his fucking fat arse all day drinking, and watching TV. He never walks these dogs at all, and sometimes he feeds them chicken feed when he can’t be fucking bothered to buy food for them.

thank you so much for your comments, and if you wish i can bring you here and you can see for your self the state they are in. But you are probably one of those people who can close their eyes to the terrible things that happen around them. I’m not. I hope one day when something happens to you or your family that passers by don’t say “just mind your own business”

19

[quote=“UKbikerchic”]This is a message i recieved,

Sometimes dogs are on chains here for a reason. There are as you NOW know now many hazards in Taiwan that you will not face in England regarding dogs. These include snakes, poisonous toads, other dogs with infectious skin diseases, dangerous scooter drivers and as you now know poisons. As for was the death of your dogs your fault ? Well probably not entirely but partly yes. So to put it somewhat directly it is also sometimes best to mind one’s own business when it comes to other people’s dogs, especially when in a foreign country. Not all local people in Taiwan are as ignorant as it sometimes appears that you seem to think, when it comes to owning dogs. Dogs are often kept leashed for a very good reason ie POISON and other HAZARDS. You should perhaps concentrate on looking after your own dogs before going on missions against locals for the way they keep their dogs in their country.

You asked and I gave an opinion. So, no it wasn’t entirely your fault but maybe you have a small part of the blame yes. I’ve had dogs for many years here and have never had one poisoned. The worst was when one licked a toad and got temporary vomiting. So I suggest the take home lesson from this experience is that you concentrate on your own dogs first before going off on missions to save local dogs on “chains and in dirty conditions”.[/quote]

That’s a great example of how we need to educate not only locals, but also expats, when it comes to improving the welfare of animals in Taiwan. I can tell you without a doubt that ignorance is rife here and everywhere, and if people think that animals should be chained for their own safety, we have a lot of teaching to do.

If you can’t provide the five freedoms as advocated by almost every animal-welfare and -rights organisation in the world, then you should not have an animal in your care.

For those who may be a little more ignorant than they think (most of us, sadly), here are the five freedoms:

[quote]1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst - by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigour.

  1. Freedom from Discomfort - by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area.

  2. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease - by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.

  3. Freedom to Express Normal Behaviour - by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.

  4. Freedom from Fear and Distress - by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering.[/quote]

From what I understand, the dogs in question were lacking at least two of the freedoms and possibly three. As Animals Taiwan grows, it will be our mission to make more and more people aware of the ins and outs of responsible animal guardianship … and you can be sure that we won’t be put off by those who don’t have what it takes to challenge the status quo themselves.

Make a difference, people.

20

Yes. Turn your back and ignore the problem hard enough and it’ll go away. Besides, Sex and the City is on in 10 minutes!
Sorry you had to read such a load of mealymouthed, limpwristed anal vomiting, Beemerlady.
Still, it warms the cockles to know that blind ignorance and callous indifference is not just the preserve of undereducated Taiwanese yokels.
I wonder if your new friend carries her doggie around in an LV bag in case it gets dust on its little feet?