Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Great day for the animals



This was a great “animal day” in at least three ways. And its timing was perfect – after last night’s unhappy council meeting in a neighboring township about the deplorable condition of the animal shelter there.

This morning’s destination was Trenton, where a PETA demonstration was scheduled for lunchtime at the McDonald’s on Cass Street. Driving along Franklin Corner Road toward Rt. 1, I saw a mother duck, leading five ducklings, start across the street a few car lengths ahead of me. I assumed the worst of other drivers and dreaded what I’d see.

I stopped, put on my blinkers and hoped. And lo: cars behind me stopped, as did a few oncoming cars. The family made it to the other side, and one-by-one climbed the curb and headed over lush green grass toward the office buildings there – which I hope also had some kind of pond.

Second good thing: the demonstration at McDonald’s, which went very well. (Go to http://mccruelty.com/ or see earlier post for details on the issue: chicken.) A surprising number of passersby and customers stopped for a leaflet and a chat with the PETA rep, who also held posters aloft for drivers to see. Meanwhile, the 2nd PETA person, a new intern with the org., stood gamely by in a bright yellow chicken mc nugget costume. She had to be roasting inside it.

Finally, after that, and probably most nip-and-tuck: a dear (stranded? abandoned? lost?) dog got help. After the demo, I was buying a cool drink at McDonald’s when the counter man pointed to a dog outside the nearest door. It was a female (as I found out later) boxer, looking disoriented and very hot. Maybe she wanted to get in for the air conditioner.

Once outside, with a container of ice water for her, I looked in vain till I heard a woman’s voice say, “Stay here, honey.” There in the shade was the dog, with a woman who works nearby and had stopped for a McDonald’s salad – one with chicken, as it happened!

We pooled our water and ice and the dog drank with abandon. Then Valerie, the woman, whose surname I learned is “Noble” (so apropos) got the number and phoned the Trenton Animal Shelter to report the dog, now known to be a female and old-looking (gray around the head) and gentle. Thinking the dog was also hungry, Valerie fed her the chicken from her salad: perfect diagnosis!

To our amazement, the shelter truck came soon, and “Mike,” the driver, nicely approached the dog (no collar; hard to get hold of) and placed her in his truck. We all exchanged names and #s, and if after seven days the dog isn’t claimed, she’ll be put up for adoption. At that point, Valerie will be contacted and happily, she knows of a good animal group in Lambertville, where both her dogs came from.

“What a day this has been.”
#

No comments: