Horrible Video Of Dog In Need In Gastonia Goes Viral, Action Is Taken
As a general rule, Phil & I don’t really talk about depressing things. We try to be an escape as all of us read and see too many horrible things on a daily basis online, and in the news. Yesterday was an exception. Video of a dog in need is going viral on Facebook, and as a Gastonia native, we had to bring it to the attention of our listeners.
I’m only a secondary party in regard to what was happening to this poor dog named Bentley. Someone posted video and pictures of this labradoodle. He’s on a chain, with no shelter or water, and surrounding the dog were numerous vultures. Vultures! This immediately showed that the dog had open wounds, and that the vultures were waiting to pounce on the injured dog. Someone or a group of local folks put down straw for the dog. They also put up a doghouse, and gave the dog water, but vultures were still surrounding the dog.
After seeing the images on Facebook, my heart broke. Realizing we can’t save them all, I decided to at least try and help to save this baby. There are a number of people in the Gastonia community that jumped into action. People were calling animal control and the police department to try and get someone to help this dog. It’s my understanding that someone was offering the owner a substantial amount of money for the dog, in order to help it, but the owner refused.
Communities Can Make A Difference
Calling and calling local agencies in Gastonia worked! Bentley is recovering from all of his injuries, and matted fur. After tons of folks made lots of noise and kept sharing the unreal video and photos of Bentley, action was taken. Not only is Bentley safe, but local authorities also ended up arresting the owner, charging him with animal cruelty.
Having anger issues, I have a few ideas of what should happen to this person, but I’ll keep them to myself. There are too many animals in all of our communities that are in desperate need of help. Many folks don’t like getting involved, as they don’t want to make a neighbor angry. But that’s crap! ALL of us need to try and do our part to stop bad people from harming animals. In addition, we need to try and make sure that they are not allowed to have animals once they’ve abused one.
People are nuts and I get being fearful of getting involved, but making an anonymous call or contacting authorities can do wonders. Strength is in numbers and the louder we are, the more help these defenseless animals can get.
Having two rescue dogs, this is something I’m passionate about. My dog Eddy was neglected, she was basically a feral dog when she was rescued. It took months to help her. Thank goodness she was rescued by an amazing organization. Although after I adopted her, it still took over a year for her to feel totally safe and comfortable with me. Now, she rules the roost!
The wonderful people that started the crusade to save Bentley have started a petition to try and start changing the animal abuse laws in our state.
I’m sharing the picture of Bentely below so you can see the horror this poor dog was facing. It’s an image that is truly disturbing. But I share it to remind us all that we can’t just ‘mind our business’ or ‘turn the other cheek’. We all need to come together and be the voice for the voiceless.
![Dog in Gastonia surrounded by vultures](https://k1047.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/49/2024/02/428628838_10160290307712677_534055672585944330_n-300x246.jpg)
Photo by Daniell Setzer