Animal Lovers or not?

My Stick Family

There are people that really care about animals, and those that simply don't get it.

 I recently was talking with a friend, a former co-worker, and has he walked me to my car he noticed the "stick family" decal on the back window of my car, which has figures for my husband, me, our dog, our two cats and an angel dog- our scottie that had cancer and was euthanized in 2007.

He smiled and said it was cute, and asked about the halo dog- which I talked about a little,explaining that to me and a lot of people I have spoken with, pets are more than living property, they are parts of our family. I told him how we agonized over whether to put her down or not, and the vet telling us she was likely in some pain, which would only become worse has the cancer deteriorated her other organs, including her brain. I started crying, since I can't really think about it even three years later without becoming distraught. 

He said, "Canice, I never could see why people get so wound up about pets, I never had a dog and wouldn't want one"

To me this is unimaginable, not having a dog and or cat in the family. Let alone not caring for one. That's why the news about the dog in Southern California, named Courage by the people caring for him, strikes a chord of anger and disbelief in me. That's probably why Animal Planet shows about "Animal Cops" are so popular.

Roughly 60% of American families have a dog in their family. Some are like mine, probably pampered too much, go everywhere with their humans, including vacations and errand around town, most places. She even sleeps in out bedroom with us.

Some spend their lives outside, cared for but unwelcome in the house. Some don't even fare that well.

As part of the charity campaign at my work, I regularly give through payroll deduction to a variety of charities- including The American Humane and American Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Animals...

People that can be mean and hurtful to an animal, can be mean to people. Many studies have found a link between cruelty to animals and other forms of interpersonal violence.

This is why this blog, which has lately focused on politics, has been focused on this story lately. Because the "alleged" person responsible for the cruelty towards this beautiful dog is also a mother. Statistically, cruelty cases involved child abuse.  The perpetrators either abused the children or force them to witness the cruelty to animals.