Dear Editor,
I once saw a man whipping a pit bull on the roadside by Atlantic Gardens while driving to work. I stopped and confronted this man…he was quite bigger in size than I am but in my anger at what he was doing, I forgot to be fearful. Long story short, he was whipping the dog because he said the dog was too lazy…he said that the dog has 4 legs and he has only 2 yet the dog cannot keep up with him. The poor animal was cowering in pain and fear. I did not know what to do at that moment, apart from telling the man that it was my fasting day and that I curse you that you will suffer worse than what you are doing to this poor animal.
The man looked shocked at my words and stopped hitting the animal as he pulled it to walk away. I felt so helpless at that moment, I was too small in size to not only confront the man but to grab the dog and put it in my car. So I turned and raced back to the Police Station at Sparendam. I ran inside and related what happened to an Officer. He listened and sympathised then declared that he cannot do anything as that was a civil matter. I was outraged and asked him what about the rights of that poor animal?
I still cannot forget that animal in all these years, as I can still remember how it looked. I went to the GSPCA but it was not opened so I went to our Store and did the only thing I felt I could do…write to the press. Stabroek News published it the very next day and Syeada Manbodh reached out to me via SN. We went in search for the dog that Sunday. One person said he knew who owned the dog and that it had died that night. We felt relieved that its suffering was over but grieved at the horrible life it had before its terrible death. Editor, please continue to give a voice to the voiceless. They depend on all of us to watch out for their rights.
Sincerely,
N. Sahadeo
