Fifteen Legs

Fifteen Legs
Bonnie Silva
River Banks Press
ISBN: 978-0-9728991-1-6
Non-Fiction, Pets, Animals
Reviewed by Ruby G. Krautsack

What an enjoyable and at the same time sad book. Enjoyable because of all the animals that have been rescued and sad because of the ones that got left behind.
Bonnie Silva does a great job of explaining how animals are transported, and I especially liked the way she gave credit to all of the people who gave of their precious time, money, and most of all, their love.
I agree with Silva that all animals should be spayed or neutered. I never realized just how fast they reproduce and how many they have in a litter. I was amazed at the number of animals that are constantly euthanized at shelters. I’m an animal lover myself and have taken in strays in the past, so I wish everyone, all the people in the world, would read this book.
The puppy mills are such a disgrace! Silva explains the stacking of the cages and how the poor puppies on the lower “floor” get bombarded with excrement. Many of them go deaf or blind. What heartbreakers! They just have to be shut down. All of them should be closed.
I was happy to know that the adopters are being screened, much like the background checks done for human adoptions. This is wonderful .If only every puppy or adult dog could go to a home where the adopter was screened.
I had to quit reading for awhile when I got to Buck’s story. He is the pup that had his ears sawed off with a pair of scissors by his owner and was left untreated to get infected, and then ignored.
I learned a lot about rabbits, too, though I never had too much contact with them. What a miserable life they must have. Cages so small they can’t move and diets that contain none of their natural food. Im sure if I ever see another one I will want to pick it up and cuddle it.
I can’t forget the cats. They are intelligent, loving animals who also suffer at the hands of people who abuse them. I had four cats at one time and they never ceased to amaze me with all of their antics. One had the most beautiful eyes I had ever seen. They would bring us gifts on holidays of things they caught, like a small live snake or a dead bird. Each one contributed something. It was their way of showing their love for us. I still miss them. <
Pray a lot for the transporters. Cry a lot for the animals. And wish with all your heart that people will be kinder to each other and to all the animals.
Erin Burr and all the transporters said it all. Animals have feelings like we do and they return the love that is given to them twice as much. God Bless all of the transporters. This book made me want to help and I would love to, but age is against me.
Thanks for writing this book Bonnie. Please keep up the wonderful work you and all the others are doing.