Domestic Animals Here and Abroad: The Difference is Striking

It was one awkward moment when the albums were brought and goat after goat was introduced to Valentino, each by its name and personality.

 

The young West African immigrant was virtually frozen, to the delight of his host who thought he must be smitten by the sight of these "breathtaking" creatures. She was wrong. Tino did not come looking for a pet to own. He was looking for meat for dinner. In the Republic of Togo where he comes from, goats are meant for eating and nothing else.

Back in Africa, Francine Evans, an American who was visiting Burkina Faso, was disturbed at what she saw: "A dog with its puppies, who appeared hungry and looking for food by a pile of garbage in a neighborhood." In New Jersey, Evans' two dogs: Sasha and Cody, have beds, special couches, toys and clothes. They see the vets for routine checkups and have groomers who come in on regular schedules to trim their hairs and nails.

After nearly 30 minutes, Tino's host asked him if any of the pets had captured his heart enough. "I told her I was torn between a few of them and needed some time to decide which one to
settle with," he recounts. It went down well with her and that is how the perplexed young man left that house empty handed.  Valentino Dossu, who had been in the U.S. for just six months, had told his African American friend he wanted a goat to buy. He had assumed his friend knew he wanted it for meat. But the friend thought he was looking for a pet, so he drove him to the house of a Central Jersey woman who deals in pet goats.

Meanwhile, Evans can't get the picture of the dogs in Burkina Faso off her mind. "They would have been rescued here in the U.S. and someone prosecuted," she said.

But Africa has serious problems and letting domestic animals fend for themselves is not one of them. With the exception of some dog breeds that people keep inside their houses and gated buildings for protection purposes or as pets, and those used as hounds – dogs, like goats and chickens – are generally free range animals that roam town all day and get back home in the evening to sleep. It is true though that, domestic animal owners always keep some food in the house for domestic animals – be it cassava peels for goats, maize for fowls or leftover meals and bones for dogs and cats.



Frank Olsteen and Laissa: Palmyra, NJ.
Photo by Antoinette Herrmann

Frank Olsten of Palmyra, NJ, kind of likes the idea of free range animals. "For as long as the environment is safe for them," he says. Frank is out by the Tacony River with his dog, Laissa, who was taking a swim in the river. "I cherish seeing my dog have his freedom," Frank says, as he steps into the water with Laissa, who kept swimming away from the shore. 

But Debby Walker is a different kind of animal lover. The New Jersey based game hunter finds it ridiculous how fellow Americans treat animals "as though they were humans." People are dying of starvation in many parts of the world, she lamented. "And we here in the United States keep making these ridiculous provisions for animals that God created to cater for themselves and for us to have as food."

Kathie Miller, a dog owner who is visiting New Jersey from Chicago, disagrees with Walker. "Not all dogs are the same," says Miller who travelled with her dog, Lucy. "Our dog, Lucy, is a miniature, 8 lbs dog, who wouldn't survive outside for a long period of time on its own." Unlike their large, guard dogs, Lucy is "caged" during the day and let out only for short walks and to urinate. Audio: Miller talks about her pet dogs

One thing Walker admits is that animal rights advocates would be disgusted if they ever set foot in her house. Every corner of her house has some part of an animal preserved and used as decoration. But the head of the deer that hangs on her dining room wall is surreal – even people used to wildlife might be stunned by it.  

As for prosecution in Africa for "negligence" of domestic animals based on their lifestyles, Tino says "forget it." There is no way that will happen. "Our animals live like animals. They don't equal our children and we don't give them that treatment." He however points out that, it is not uncommon to see people being prosecuted or jailed for animal cruelty in his home country. It is very normal to see the police station filled with families who have come to report neighbors doing something cruel to their goat, cat, or dog; even chicken. And the police can lock the culprits up in cells for days sometimes.