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When you or I meet someone for the first time we show manners by shaking hands.  Other countries kiss on the cheeks etc.  With animals it is a whole new world.  Animals greet every new comer into their circle by sniffing them.  It is correct protocol for the dog to want to sniff you and sometimes it is a little embarrassing or annoying but to the dog it gets all the information it needs from this act which is deemed the very best of doggie protocol.  From this moment on the brief sniff will renew the first meeting.  People think when dogs come running towards them with tails wagging they want to play but play will come second to the introduction of sniffing.  Dogs sometimes do other things that make us gag or offend us such as eating feces or rolling in disgusting things rubbing the odor onto their own bodies.  These are kick backs from the wild and no one can be absolutely sure why either takes place.
Perhaps the rolling puts the smell of a larger more fearsome animal onto their body to scare off predators or opposition we are not sure.  Eating of feces of their own is not clearly defined I believe if puppies are left with the mother dog 8 weeks she will teach them to go far from the den site or nest to do their business then leave it alone.  If Mom has had to fend for herself she might have picked up this habit to get nourishment and it is said in today’s better dog and cat foods there is so much nourishment left it tempts a dog to eat it for calorie content.
Whatever the reason it is not acceptable practice.  Most dogs can be dissuaded by additions to their food such as chopped pineapple, monosodium glutamate, sauerkraut, Worcestershire, are only a few.  There are special pills and things to add to the food.  Most dogs will eat from the litter box of cats regardless of how tidy they are otherwise so it is best to have a covered box or clean it immediately.  There is obviously something in the feces that appeals to the stimulation of desire in the dog.  Always remove poop as quickly as possible.  Feeding dry food and a bit of moist makes stools that are easier to collect and dispose of, even Pedigree advertises this and it is one reason most kennels are drawn to use Pedigree.  A kennel full of dogs with diarrhea is a terrible thing.  As for helping the nonprofit charities Pedigree does almost nothing  about donating free food or money to charities that are no kill I guess figuring dogs sitting around eating and not getting into homes quickly do not make them enough money.
When I contacted Pedigree or Hills about food and told them I had over 300 dogs plus cats in a no kill shelter they told me “we are not interested, you can call back if you change your status in a year:” which meant, start killing off dogs and cats and get out of no kill business if you want help from us.  PETA has the same attitude when I ran into trouble with a lease on my no kill 300 dog kennel, PETA told me to put them down and offered no further advice everyone should read the book Redemption about no kill vs. kill shelters.  It just takes a little more time to find a loving home in most cases but economics plays a big part in today’s society.  It is reflecting our human attitude of getting rid of the sick and elderly and dealing only with the healthy productive.

One evening, friends of 15 year old Harry pick him up for a joy ride.  They are giggling and a little high and decide to leave Harry in the desert as a prank.  Harry is the unwilling participant as they drive down unfamiliar roads and shove him out of the car, barefoot and wearing only shorts he finds himself in the loneliness of the desert. He has no idea where he is and reasons he’ll be better off to sit and wait for them to return.  Hours pass slowly.  He shivers and his heart pounds, bugs bite on him as he slaps them away.  Scorpions scamper over his feet.  He trembles in terror as he make out the outline of a wild animal in the bushes.  As he shivers he urinates from intense fear.  Still he waits, having faith his friends have become lost or broken down and will soon return.

The sun comes up and the light and warm rays sooth his anguish somewhat.  He is scared beyond belief . He makes a decision to try and save himself so driven by hunger, thirst and instincts, Harry knows he is on his own and sadly he starts down a  road where each step is painful.  He spots a vehicle approaching and his spirits soar. He steps onto into the center of the road so he will be  visible but realizes it isn’t the right vehicle or color and they are not slowing down.  As he clamors to get out of their way they depart, yelling profanities and tossing a beer bottle out the window. They have come close to running over him.  He weeps inside and thinks about home and his family.  Broken glass pick at his feet and dust billows up into his nose mesquite thorns pick at his shirt and he realizes he is bleeding and thirst parches his throat and he knows he is dehydrated.  His head spins from the ordeal. Walking endlessly he spots civilization in the far distance and quickens his painful pace.  As he approaches the house a door is flung open and an  angry man appears stepping outside, he sees the man is scowling and holding a can of beer which he flings in Harry’s direction.  There is no doubt about the man’s intentions, he wants Harry off his property right then and they need not communicate in the same language to understand each other.  Harry is now on a country road and he figures it leads to a highway.  There he has seen tiny distant images of cars through sweat and tear stains on his face.  Perhaps he can locate his friends or someone to help him.  His journey has taken him in a circular pattern and he is exhausted from exposure, he must get help soon.  Now battle scarred and frantic he makes his way short cutting through mesquite bushes and goat heads as he limps to the highway.

The winter winds whip around him and he is aware of the chill.  Finally he crawls onto the highway believing a car will stop and help him .His mouth is so parched he feels he cannot scream He crawls two more feet, he reasons the cars are not seeing him so close to the ground.  Screeching brakes and a thud send Harry careening into the bar ditch screaming in agony.  He dies there with no loving arms to ease his pain.  This story is fiction for a boy named Harry but it is very real for dozens of abandoned pets that die every  month in this area in this manner.  Some die of thirst, some torn apart by wild animals, some simply lay down and give up or are hit by cars that don’t bother to stop.  Pets can never believe that terror like this is intentional.  Believe me there is no thought given to the fate of the previously pampered pet which is tossed aside on a farm road.  If you have abandoned a pet you are the lowest form of human.  Pets have no Lone Star or Visa card to bail them out of their problem.  People are skeptical of their actions and avoid them often throwing rocks at them.  There is no water supply.  It is more humane to accompany your pet to the vet and or pound and have it put down than to discard it beside a road or in the desert.  You now know how an abandoned dog dies.