Assume

In 2010 I spent much of the year working in Africa.


From this statement, what assumption did you make, if you didn’t know that about me already?

That I worked for an aid agency doing good works for the poor, hungry and homeless? Maybe you thought I volunteered my time working in a field hospital. You almost certainly asked yourself, ‘Ohh, I wonder which agency?’ Thinking Doctors without Borders, Unicef, Oxfam etc.

Alas, it was nothing so noble. I work for a bank, doing office stuff, and I was paid, well. Few people find that out.

My point is that people make assumptions about everything you say and unless they ask for specifics, which they rarely do, that’s the impression they keep about you. It can lead to all sorts of problems, in the workforce and in person. I’m as guilty as anyone.

I do do good works. I volunteer my time, mostly with animal charities. I figure enough people focus on people (an assumption). Animals can’t speak for themselves, so need twice as many voices raised for them.

Currently I’m crocheting blankets. Basically, massive granny squares, but blankets none the less. I was asked on the train this morning what I was doing. The fact the 20 something had no idea what crochet is, is a topic for a whole other blog entry. Having established the lack of knowledge regarding the gentle arts, I said ‘it’s going to be a blanket for charity’.

I’ve been here before, so when asked what charity I simply said, ‘the homeless’.

Last time I specified and said, ‘for animal shelters’, I was treated to a tirade of words and spit that went along the lines of ‘people are far more important’. I didn’t wish to risk going to work and sitting in someone else’s sputum all day, so decided to be vague, based on the prior experience.

She surprised me. ‘Ahhh…the doggies and pussy cats with love that. They’ll be able to make a nest to snuggle into’.

I did my best impression of a guppie, and when recovered I confirmed her assumption.

We proceeded to chat about animals in shelters and how her three dogs had all been adopted for shelters. I’d made assumptions about her, based on the station she got on at, her style of dress, even her immensely coiffed hair. I was wrong. She was remarkably normal and without the pictures stick.

She voiced her assumption. As we were departing the train she said, ‘Thank you for talking to me. I’m new in Sydney and I was afraid you’d ignore or be rude to me, people on public transport here can be so strange.’

I left her with this and, ultimately, a smile on her face, ‘Yeah, but that because I’m weird’.

Remember, to assume, you make an Ass of U and Me.

How would you feel?

Would you take an idling car home and look after it? Or would you leave it be or maybe keep an eye on it for a while to make sure it wasn't stolen?

If you found a child wandering in a park would you take it home and keep it for yourself? Or would you try and find the parents and if not able to find them call the police?

Would you pick up a stray dog, take it home and not tell anyone?

The chances are you answered with a solution to the first two questions and maybe or yes to the third.

If you don't take the dog to the vet or call the local dog catcher (every council has one) to see if there is a microchip present, you could be keeping someone's child.

There are many excuses for animals not being handed in when found but here are a couple of the more common ones. I'd like to set the record straight on a couple:

1. It's just a stray dog I found. So I'll give it a good home.

Yes, it may well be a stray in need of a warm bed, good food and a human to love, but it may also be a beloved pet with all those things waiting at home. It's family may be fretting about the whereabouts after it freaked out for some reason (storm, fireworks etc.) and somehow got out of the usually secure house/garden. The dog you're 'caring for' may be looking at you and thinking, 'I just want to go home'. Dogs have a knack for escaping seemly inescapable places when frightened.

2. If I hand it in, it will be euthanised.

A stray is given at least two weeks to be found by its owners. If the animal is micro-chipped (and many are these days) it's likely that they will find each other very quickly and pet and human will be very grateful to you, they may even give you a reward. As the finder you can tell the pound/dog catcher you'll adopt if the owners aren't found so as to avoid the animal being put to sleep. Give it a chance to find it's family first though.

3. I'm afraid I'll get into trouble if I hand the animal in, I kept it over the weekend.

It's highly unlikely you'll get into trouble for looking after a dog over a weekend. If you keep the dog for weeks or months before handing it, then maybe you will, maybe you won't. It's a chance you take. Best to hand any animals you find in straight away with the offer to continue care should they not be reclaimed.

4. How do I know the dog or cat is micro-chipped?

You take it to the local vet and they will scan it for you free of charge. If you can’t get to the vet, call the local dog catcher, they will come to you.

Think about how you'd feel if a loved one went missing and you didn't know what had become of them. Would you worry day and night if they were dead or alive and safe?
Would you try and find them by any means possible?
Would you sleep well at night?

If you have an animal that you found, please take it to a vet to find out if there is someone doing and wondering all of the above.

RIP Walter T. Pigeon

I woke this morning to find Walter, legs in the air and as stiff as a board. After wrapping him in kitchen towel I walked though the garden humming before placing him in his final resting place.


Walter the pigeon came to me in the third week of December as a teenager that had fallen from his nest. His parents were not around, so I took him home. He had no feathers on his tail or back. He lived in my laundry basket for a week or so before I put together an aviary over the Christmas break. He loved his new home…its floor was shell grit, he had pigeon mix and a water bath. He was happy and chirpy. Then he started losing weight. I was informed he had coccidiosis and nothing could be done.

Had I left him on the corner of Forveax and Elizabeth Streets, it’s highly likely he would have died then, but hopefully I was able to give him a few extra days of a happy life.