The baby monkey in the lab.....
Why do we treat animals, like animals?
Billy
by Kristen Sharer
When Billy was 6
One fine Easter day,
He received a gift
With which he could play.
It was a sweet little bunny
With hair to the floor.
What could have happened
When it was found dead by the door?
Accidental, they said.
Billy's just a child.
He just played too rough.
He got a little bit wild.
When Billy was 10
At a neighbor's house,
He poured some bleach
On a friendly pet mouse.
Boys will be boys
Is what they said.
Be careful, they added
As they patted his head.
When Billy turned 12
They found some deep cuts
On the face and the neck
Of the sweet family mutt.
No harm was done.
The dog's not hurt bad.
He didn't mean to do it.
He truly feels sad.
When Billy was 16,
He took a gun to school.
He fired upon them
While calling them fools.
When Billy was finished
Having his fun,
He smiled at his carnage
And lay down his gun.
The town went on weeping
All through the trial.
He showed no remorse.
He showed not a smile.
What happened, they asked,
To a boy so fine?
How could it be
He showed not a sign.
What about me?
Said the ghost of the long dead mouse?
And I the rabbit
Who was found dead in his house?
And the elderly dog
With scars that still showed
Softly whined and wondered,
HOW DIDN'T THEY KNOW?
The baby monkey in the lab.....by Guila
Manchester.
The lighted window shows the room
so warm and softly glowing,
The tree so tall with twinkling
lights
And all the presents showing.
While just outside a starving cat
Stands shivering in the cold,
And down the street a stray dog
limps,
So tired and sick and old.
The baby monkey in the lab
Lets out a cry of fear.
The thing he thought was mother
Shot out quills when he drew near.
The car speeds by, the puppy cries
And drags her broken leg.
The beaver in the leghold trap
Lifts pain-filled eyes that beg.
How can we speak of peace on earth
And know these things are so,
And say they don't concern us
And we ought to let them go?
How can we think we have the right
To torture needlessly,
When all the time we know so well
It shouldn't have to be.
Come join with us at Christmas time
And pledge ourselves anew.
They need our help so badly,
There's so much that we can do.
Don't turn your back upon their pain
Because it's hard to see.
They have no other place to turn,
They've only you and me.
Do
I Go Home Today ?
by Sandi Thompson
My family brought me home
cradled in their arms.
They cuddled me and smiled at me and said I was full of charm.
They played with me and laughed with me and showered me with toys.
I sure do love my family, especially the girls and boys.
The children loved to feed me,
they gave me special treats.
They even let me sleep with them, all snuggled in the sheets.
I used to go for walks, often several times a day.
They even fought to hold the leash, I'm very proud to say.
These are the things I'll not
forget - a cherished memory.
Because I now live in a shelter - without my family.
They used to laugh and praise
me, when I played with that old shoe.
But I didn't know the difference between the old ones and the new.
The kids and I would grab a rag, for hours we would tug.
So I thought I did the right thing when I chewed the bedroom rug.
They said that I was out of
control, and would have to live outside.
This I did not understand, although I tried and tried.
The walks stopped, one by one;
they said they hadn't time.
I wish that I could change things, I wish I knew my crime.
My life became so lonely, in the backyard, on a chain.
I barked and barked, all day long, just to keep from going insane.
So they brought me to the
shelter, but were embarrassed to say why.
They said I caused an allergy, then they each kissed me goodbye.
If I'd only had some classes, when I was just a little pup,
Then I would have been a better dog when I was all grown up.
You only have one day left." I
heard the worker say. " Does that mean I have a second chance ?
DO I GO HOME TODAY ?
Hear our prayer O Lord by Albert Schweitzer
Hear our
prayer O Lord ... for animals that are overworked, underfed, and cruelly
treated;
for all wistful creatures in captivity that beat their wings against bars;
for any that are hunted or lost or deserted or frightened or hungry;
for all that must be put to death....
and for those who deal with them we ask a heart of compassion
and gentle hands and kindly words.
Make us, ourselves, to be true friends to animals,
and so to share the blessings of the merciful.
A Rescue Prayer Unknown
Now I lay me down to rest
I pray my soul can stand this test
Of watching critters lose their homes
While owners gripe and cry and moan
I long for strength of spirit that
They'll find a loving home again
Where they will know a loving heart
I can't do much, but it's a start
And spare me from the owner's pleas
About the baby's allergies
Or how they're moving out of state
Or spitefulness 'tween cat and mate
Please keep me sane while dealing with
The woman who bought as a gift
A wriggling tiny ball of fluff
That now is playing way too rough
Remind me I should bite my lip
When confronted with "he grew too quick"
"I didn't know he'd get so large"
"He seems to think that he's in charge"
Protect my heart when I hear them say
"I think we'll breed our dog one day"
Sometimes I think it'll break in two;
Each day brings trials harsh and new
And if I die before I wake
I pray one hopeless soul you'll take
My tears are gone, my faith is bare
Lord, please hear my rescue prayer.
Top
The following is a poem written by the singer Maria Daines. It was inspired by the hanging of two hunting dogs in Greece. Hunting dogs are all too often the victims of neglect and abuse. Acts of such cruelty are rife in Greece, but the police are uninterested and those responsible go unpunished.
A quiet death filled with pity and pain
In your hour of need nobody came
In your moment of torment, nobody cared
You cried for help but nobody heard
In your lonely passing, nobody knew
In a country called Greece, they don't care about you
Just a dog, just a cat, just a homeless beast
You run and you hide, for you matter least
Your life is remembered by hunger and sorrow
How can we build a better tomorrow?
If you are worthless, what then are we?
Are we voiceless, lost or hanging on a tree?
If we can not care we are empty inside
People of Greece, where is your pride?
Where is your mercy, your pity your shame?
Why do you hurt the ones without blame?
Maria Daines June 2008
Why do we treat animals, like animals?
From the movie Dr. Dolittle -
Twentieth Century Fox Productions
(The 1967 version of Dr Dolittle starring Rex Harrison)
I do not understand the human race...
It has so little love for creatures with a different face.
Treating animals like people is no madness or disgrace.
I do not understand the human race
I wonder,
Why do we treat animals like animals?
Animals treat us so very well.
The devoted way they serve us
And protect us when we're nervous
Oh, they really don't deserve us
All we give them is hell.
Tell me how else man repays them?
Do we ever think to praise them?
No we don't, and this dismays them
You can tell.
We're riddled with ingratitude
We give no love or latitude
In every way our attitude is
Well... like animals!
No, no... That's not what I mean.
I mean...
Why do we treat animals like animals?
How can people be so inhumane? 
Cows and chickens work to feed us
Dogs and horses show they need us
And though cats don't always heed us
Their affection is plain.
What do we do?
We neglect them.
We do nothing to protect them.
We reject them, don't expect them to complain.
We ignore them or we beat them.
When we're hungry then we eat them.
It's appalling how we treat them.
It's insane... like animals!
We humiliate and murder and confine them.
We create their retched status,
Then we use it to malign them
I mean...
Why should we say:
"Treat him like a dog?"
Why should we say:
"Working like a horse?"
Why should we say:
"Eating like a hog?"
When what we mean is:
"Eating like a MAN!" Don't we?
Of course!
A man of ill repute is called a weasel or a rat.
A woman you dislike becomes a vixen or a cat.
A family that is blessed with healthy reproductive habits,
Occasions the remark: "Well you know them, they breed like rabbits!"
He's as stubborn as a mule.
He's a stupid as an ox.
He's as slimy as a snake.
He's as crafty as a fox.
(Remarks like that really get my goat.)
Why don't we say:
"Noble as a frog?"
Or,
Why can't we say:
"Wealthy as a hen?"
True, we say:
"Devoted as a dog."
But what we should say is: 
"Sheik as a giraffe."
"Pretty as a pig" eh...
That'll be the big day
Won't it?
But when?
But WHEN?
When will we stop treating them like animals?
Is the human race entirely mad?
Women see a baby goat skin or a lamb skin or a stoat skin
And to them it's just a coat skin.
Oh it's terribly sad.
When you dress in suede or leather
Or some fancy fur or feather
Do you stop to wonder whether for a fad
You have killed some beast or other
That you're wearing someone's brother
Or perhaps it's someone's mother
In which you're clad.
Like ANIMALS!
Like ANIMALS!
Well, it's true
We do not live in a zoo
But man is an animal, too
So why can't you
Like me
Like animals?
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