In India, this “way of being raised” is intrinsically linked to the economy. Most people used to be struggling economically until a few years back. The poverty shut out any question of being empathetic to anyone else other than oneself and the immediate family.

Unfortunately, even after the economic reversal that most of these families have witnessed, this culture/mindset hasn’t changed.

Think about this, we are a nation that worships the cow. But not many of us know that in the Hindu mythology, it was a dog that accompanied the Pandava clan (Hindu crusaders, if you may) to heaven.

I guess it is easy to remember your Gods when you are benfitting from the deity in some way (milk, bio-fuel etc.). There has never been much to steal from people who are struggling economically… so creatures like dogs have taken a permanent backseat.

…And honestly, you should visit an Indian city to see how well the “holy cow” gets treated by some people

I think for some people they view animals as just that-animals. Some have the ability to disassociate themselves from an emotional bond with a species who, “can’t help them.” Meaning-what does that particular animal do for you other than provide companionship. I’m one that has never been able to see an animal struggle- I had pet rats and although people made fun of me, they were still mine-living creatures who depended on me for their well-being. Some has to do with culture, how a person was raised and not respecting creatures of all types, whether they can speak or not. My mother and I have always said we feel bad when we watch a television show with an injured animal- more so than we do if it were a human-because that animal has no voice-other than us.

Thanks for dropping by and commenting.

I understand what you say and that is probably the reason why many discerning people would also opt not to come forward, but like I wrote in the post, it takes not more than a phone call, a signature and a little bit of your time. The signature, by the way, is not on a checkbook either .

There are voluntary organizations that help out these animals, and they do not charge you for it. You only have to inform them and hand the animals over to them.

That is where I am coming from. People do not know about the existence of such organizations. Fair enough. The fact that they do not lift a finger to find out whether they exist, is what troubles me.

I’ve selected Paws Awhile as a recipient of the “Thinking Blogger” Award. You can pick up your award here: http://saveashelterpet.blogspot.com/2008/01/thinking-blogger-award.html
Enjoy!
Jen

I am glad you liked the name. I actually thought it was a little cliched when I was naming the blog, but decided to go ahead because it stands for who we are.

Anindita