A Nevispages weekly feature by Curtis Morton Sr
The way I see it, I no longer concur with the well-known adage that ‘a dog is a man’s best friend.’
On the contrary, I am very wary about those dogs that I see these young fellas walking around with nowadays. Better put, the way I see some of these dogs pulling their owners around, it appears as if a man is no longer walking his dog but the dog is walking the man.
Well I newa!
Now, do not get me wrong, I am not an animal hater, but I do have a problem with dogs that are obviously vicious, being allowed onto the public road and not being properly secured at their home premises.
As a matter of fact, I am confident in the belief, that there are certain breeds of dogs that should not even be tolerated on the island.
Some of these vicious dogs have been known to even attack their very owners. You think that if I have a dog and it bit me once that I would ever feed it again! I must be a pappy show!
I have owned several dogs and mark you all of them, except one, were regular dogs that we know from the old school, no mixed breeds and so on-well, except one.
In the early days, I followed tradition and gave all of my dogs, names of known BAD MEN.
So I had a dog called HITLER; one called SADAM and because of the misguided representation of the man at the time, I also named one CASTRO. The dogs were given such names, because they were supposed to be fierce guardians of their yard space and not allow any unwanted intruders.
I obtained Castro as a cute, little, black puppy, as a gift from the late Deputy Governor-General, His Honour Mr. Weston Parris. He told us that he was a mixed breed. Castro developed into a nice, strong, healthy-looking fella and barked fiercely in the protection of his home base.
However, one afternoon, I came home and Castro was reacting as if he had eaten hot pepper. The dog was barking fiercely at anyone who got close to him and snarling nastily, even at me, who fed him daily.
Well, after trying to calm him and realizing that he had actually tried to snap off my hand, I went inside the house and that dog grabbed on to the louvers in one of the doors and bent them with his bare teeth, snarling angrily all the while. There and then I decided that I won’t be feeding that animal again.
I made a phone call to the Vet, Dr. Pat Bartlette and told her that I had a dog to be put down. She dissuaded me by telling me that she knew a white lady who needed a dog. I tried to explain to her that the lady would not need this one, but she insisted in sending the lady to have a look.
The next morning, the lady came by my home. I warned her that the dog was behaving ugly and that I did not want her to get hurt. As we approached Castro, he started to snarl and act up again. I looked at the lady and said: ‘I rest my case.’
She simply smiled and walked up to the dog, calling his name softly and soon the dog was wagging his tail and she was patting him on his head.
Well I newa.
Of course I shouted: ‘You can take him!’ A few days later, I met the lady in Charlestown, crying. Castro had been crushed by a passing car.
I previously told you all about another bad experience I had with one of those really bad dogs.
It was those early years when I was a Public Health Inspector, based at the Charlestown Health Center. I was in the Health Center yard one day and bent over to put my little moped in gear, when I felt something sink into the back of my left leg. I looked back in time to see one of Mr. Arthur Anslyn’s huge dogs, rush out of the yard and leap back over his wall, into his yard.
Fortunately, the Nurses at the Health Center dressed me up quickly, but were encouraging me too sue Mr. Anslyn. When I saw Mr. Anslyn, I simply asked him to take care of his dog. He promised he would and offered to give me money, which I refused.
A few days later, he assured that he had ‘taken care of the dog.’
I thought he meant that he had tied it properly, but he later explained that he had it shot.
Then there was that case several years ago, when my good friend Sandra Maynard, was attacked by a dog, while on a walk and was saved by my brother Lawson, who ran out with a broom, which actually broke after he had lashed the dog. Fortunately, the dog sped away but Sandra was badly hurt.
Now this week, I am angered by the news that one of our top gospel singers, in Carmella Morton Lawrence, was viciously attacked by several dogs, while on a walk as well. She suffered major injuries and I understand that she had to get 33 stitches in one had alone.
Personally, I recommend that every single one of those dogs should be officially PUT DOWN-PERMANENTLY. I ALSO THINK THAT THE OWNERS SHOULD BE HELD RESPONSIBLE IN SOME WAY.
People should be able to walk the roads of Nevis, in peace-not in pieces.
May God help us to be able to properly care for the animals which we have declared as our own and may we also not harbour any creatures that may harm our fellow human beings.
That’s the way I see it. How do you see it?