As college students (or any human with a soul, really) we love animals. Even more than the random seal or sloth gif, we love our pets. Some of you even love the stray cats wandering our beloved ACU. Then why is it Abilene pet owners, animal caretakers, and people in general are neglecting their duty in the weirdest of ways?

And while this is a serious topic (and many animals are saved every day) too many weird stories about animals and people have been popping up on my Facebook timeline.

I started to get sad last fall, when a two-toed sloth (the cuter but meaner kind, so my sloth-obsessed roommate tells me) passed away at the zoo.

Then, a couple months ago when the news reported an Abilene woman committed a crime, fled the scene, and realized she’d left her dog (a Chihuahua of course) behind. She went back for the yappy fluff ball, got arrested, and now sits in a jail cell somewhere.

Just the other night, I was procrastinating in the library by reading a doozie of an animal story. A lady, who is now assumed insane, stabbed a squirrel. A dead squirrel. Then evaded arrest. So now squirrel-stabbing Sue has a felony.

As I got home to write this, I heard quacking from my neighbor’s yard. Sure enough, they have a nice little collection of ducks in their backyard. Naturally, I got a snapchat video of them before the owner called them inside (I ran away).

So here’s the official push to adopt that dog from the shelter. And next time you see a bat downtown or a struggling squirrel near the road, let them be or help them out. There are enough crazies out to get them. Operation rescue the raccoon at the zoo is going down ASAP. And lastly, please don’t take the cats into the dorms.