When animal lovers look at an image of a lonely dog chained to a fire hydrant, it is easy to assume the worst. But as the Wisconsin Humane Society pointed out, there are often multiple sides to the story.
The Wisconsin Humane Society found the dog, Baby Girl, tied to a fire hydrant with a note. When they shared the photo on social media, people around the country jumped to conclusions, deriding the previous owner.
But the Humane Society took a different approach to the situation. “There was a note left, and it was really to us an act of desperation,” said one worker at the shelter.
For several days, workers at the shelter watched people vilify and attack the previous owner of Baby Girl. So, the Wisconsin Humane Society put together a compassionate response.
“Our post today has been beautifully received by a community who loves animals and are now seeing the humanity in the situation,” the worker said. In that post, they provided more context for the sad situation.
The note from the owner explained that she had medical issues that prevented her from caring for Baby Girl. “This owner was doing the best they could with the resources they had,” said the worker at the Humane Society.
“[We need to] check assumptions and judgments and bias at the door the best that we can,” said the worker. “Because it better serves the owners, the pets in our care and our community as a whole.”
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