Dear Editor,
On a grey rainy morning around 5.30 on December 9, 2007, animal lover and GSPCA committee member, Noreen Gaskin, and a friend were walking on the seawall. Quite suddenly she noticed a dog, which apparently had just given birth, running up and down the lower wall in apparent distress. Noreen thought it was just waiting for its owner to return but on the way back the dog ran towards them whimpering and tried to jump on them. Noreen felt the dog needed help and called me on her cell phone to ask if I could assist. I immediately drove to the seawall and with the assistance of Noreen and friend we picked up the wet dog, put her safely in my dry kennel and began looking for her supposed pups (she was lactating and must have recently given birth). The tide was going out and we were afraid maybe her pups had gone out with it. We were all thinking: “What would make a human being abandon a mother, and maybe drown her puppies, on the seawall early on a rainy morning?”
I took the dog to the GSPCA as soon as they opened. Later, when the rains had stopped, an inspector and I returned to the seawall with the dog (on a leash) to comb the area again for her puppies. As we walked along the seawall the dog’s crying grew less. When we found no sign of the puppies we gave up the search. The beautiful super friendly Dachsund mixed breed is now at the GSPCA where she will be spayed. Then, hopefully, she will be given a second chance in a good home by some caring person.
More recognition needs to be given to people like Noreen Gaskin who go out of their way to help animals. Noreen has been a committee member of the GSPCA for many years and on her own initiative feeds many strays on a daily basis. She has taken numerous abused and/or abandoned animals to the vet and has helped find good homes or places to live such as schools, senior homes, churches, parks and even her own office for those animals that recovered from the mistreatment of cruel owners.
Although Noreen is a full-time manager of a business, she still finds time to help animals and is constantly on the look-out for animals in distress. She even trains her staff in ways of reducing the suffering of animals. People like Noreen are very important in building an animal friendly society. They identify animals that need help so that animal rescuers can more easily find and deliver them to the GSPCA for longer term assistance or euthanasia. Without the Noreen Gaskins of the world many more animals would suffer and many animals in need would go unidentified.
Don’t hesitate; cooperate with the effort to improve conditions for our animal friends!
The greatest gift you can give your animals is to spay them.
Yours faithfully,
Syeada Manbodh
