Rescue challenges

Horses at Reins of Life wear jackets to cope with the extreme cold temperatures on Tuesday in South Bend. Most of the animals will be placed in barns on Wednesday and Thursday.

Tribune Photo/ROBERT FRANKLIN

Winter always brings out horror stories of freezing animals.  Dogs, cats, horses, buffalo; they have all had photos in the news the past week. Even the few alligators in North Carolina had their photos snapped, frozen, with their snouts poking out of the water.
Every year there seems to be more and more photos which results in more and more angry people. I have seen the rants on social media where they are calling for violence against people, name calling, telling people to break the law and other sage pieces of advice to the general public about how to react to the news.
I love animals. I love birds. I love reptiles. I love humans. (most) I do not like what we turn in to when we believe we or our thoughts are the only way to do things; when it is our way or the highway and to hell with you if you do not agree.
You cannot legislate responsibility. You also cannot break the laws because you don't like them. You cannot instill common sense in people that have none and as long as we live in this country with the laws we have, unless a court of law has made something illegal, you cannot help.
You can join a grassroots group to change a law, ie:  chaining your dog outside. This resulted in groups who offered owners other ways to contain their animals. Many communities now have laws against tethering for more than 15 minutes. You can make a difference.
I am angry every time I see an animal outside with a doghouse but the reality is, this is a way of life for many animals. Education, education, education.
We need to educate people. We need to stop the screaming, yelling and name calling. It doesn't solve anything and when the objects of your disdain learn of the actions, they are more likely to dig in their heels and change nothing.
When I was a little girl, one of the old pieces of advice I heard and still use is, "You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." Try using a little honey. It could make all the difference in the world.