Life Should Never be a Game of Chance

Digging deep into the little guy’s flesh, the pain coursed with a vengeance he had never felt before, through every inch of his lamby being, causing him to wriggle and squirm. And doing so with just enough vigour to break free.

But not before much damage was done to his tail.

Arriving into our care and kindness, it was quickly determined that such an act had occurred on the first day of little Uno’s life. Generally, the policy here at Edgar’s Mission is, “If they come in with a tail, they go out with a tail.”

However, in the circumstance of Uno, so irreparably damaged and already necrotic was his tail that our only kind course of action was to see good its removal. Enough of a stump, though, shall be left to provide adequate protection from the sun to cover his vulnerable anal area.

With tail docking now so rightly banned for ethical and humane reasons for our canine friends – unless, of course, on welfare grounds – it is alas legally sanctioned for our ovine ones. Often by the most brutal and archaic of means. Whilst the excuses for this are many, the reason is one – convenience.

A convenience that comes from “managing” these selectively bred animals in such vast numbers that to provide them with the individual care and kindness they need is not humanly possible.

So our society legally mutilates these baby animals. So often without any pain relief or anaesthetic. With nothing to deaden their pain, it would seem the only thing that has been deadened is our compassion.

Whether little lambs or little puppies, both embody a sentient and sensitive being, and life for them should never be a game of chance.