Eye For An Eye
It seems that there is no shortage of sickos in the world today. NEW YORK -- A pit bull who was found on fire while tied to a tree on Long Island died on Tuesday.
That was the first line a story I found on the WNBC website on the 16th. It was updated on the 17th. It is a story that is very sad, and it includes pictures that are accessible through a link, but they are very graphic. Both Captain Dramatic and myself were in tears. Yes, I let CD see them, as I felt they sent a very strong message. In that few minutes I was able to ascertain that my CD isn't capable of this kind of act, and will speak out if someone else he encounters is. Now I am slightly off the topic now, but before I go on you can find the entire article here.
It seems that a Pitt Bull dog was found tied to a tree, had been doused in gasoline, and lit on fire, and left there to burn by whomever had done this. He was a boy, and was named Maximus by emergency personnel. Maximus, who suffered burns over 60% of his body, died shortly after the incident despite efforts to save him. His caretakers, in his finals days, said that despite what he had been through, Maximus continued to try and wag his tail when they entered the room. That folks, tells me that this was indeed a very sweet and trusting dog, right up until the end.
I don't understand how any human can treat an animal like this. I don't understand it when they treat other humans like this for that matter. It happens though, and it shouldn't. It is wrong in ever sense of the word. Plain wrong. It breaks my heart to know that this animal suffered needlessly, and only offered some sick SOB a thrill, and it makes me worry for the world when things like this happen, as I know that this represents nothing but evil.
I am not sure how many of my readers hail from the great state of New York, but just in case, I wanted to post the necessary information, to be used by anyone with information, regarding this horrific event.
If anyone knows anything regarding this horrible turn of events, please contact:
The Suffolk County SPCA.
1-(631)-382-SPCA
http://www.suffolkspca.org/index.html
From what the article states there is a $1,000 reward for information that would lead to the conviction of the persons responsible. I would not need a monetary reward myself. Just the satisfaction of knowing that they couldn't do this to any other animals or any other people.
Finally, I wanted to let all of you know that I am much kinder than CD would be about this, should he have any say in what would happen to the perpetrators. CD would have them tied to a tree, doused in gasoline, and set ablaze as well. I did ask him how that made him better than them, and he pondered that for a few seconds. He said it wouldn't, but that sometimes you had to hit back to make people stop hitting you, and if he was in the same situation and couldn't hit back himself he would want someone to do it for him, and maybe this was one of those times. I couldn't argue with that reasoning as I know all too well that he is right. I think my son will be an ok addition to society as an adult if he stays on his current path...
Here's Hoping.
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4 comments:
Now, don't get me wrong here because NO dog or person deserves this treatment and I think the culprit should be caught and punished. But . . . I a reminded of an incident which happened to my family, on the other side of the coin. My granddaughter was attacked by my neighbors dog (I've blogged about it). They claimed their dog was "very gentle", of course. That dog runs around to this day and in fact, seemingly to rub salt in the wound, they got another dog within days of the incident. Not a replacement dog but, a second dog. Hell, they can't even control their first one.
Now, I notice in your post your husband(?) states he would give the PERSON the same treatment that the dog got and it was hard to dispute his logic. There are vicious dog attacks on people everyday (my granddaughter is only one of many). Should I bite the dog that bit my granddaughter on his neck, like he did to her? Hey, I thought people were much more important than animals. Now, I have no interest really in an eye-for-an-eye but, I have NO problem with putting a guilty animal DOWN. People ARE more important, after all.
I remember having a classmate in school who was bit by a dog. This was some 40 years ago, I guess. He still has and always will have, a chuck missing from his left arm. Yes, you read right, not a surface scar but, a chunk. I know another little girl who was bit on her face by a "friendly dog that wouldn't harm a sole" about 3 years ago, when she was only about18 months old. She, too, will carry that scare for the rest of her life, through dances, proms and all of that.
I am not against pets. I've owned a few dogs myself. BUT once they cross that line - goodbye I say (although, humanly). Also, some breeds should just be outright banned to begin with. They are so notorious that I think we all know which breeds I speak of. They are just outright deadly.
With that being said, I must repeat NO living creature should be set ablaze, etc.
Sorry about the long rant. I just wonder if that pet angered some parent who truly loved a child who was perhaps attacked and the legal system gave him NO rights. I know in my granddaughters case, I was told nothing could be done to the dog unless he was a 'repeat offender'. Now who wants to wait for another child to be hurt?
You and I are going to have to agree to disagree about the certain breeds that you feel should be banned. Pitt Bulls are often amongst that group, and my family has owned a few and been around many others and have never seen any of the characteristics that many speak of. I am not saying they don't exist, but I just couldn't vouch from first hand knowledge, and I still love that particular breed. I know what they were bred for, and that in and of itself was a cruelty to the animals. I also know that if a Pitt Bull does attack, there is never a case of getting off lucky. We will save all of that for another day, because that probably isn't what you truly intended to address with your response.
I am in total agreeableness with you regarding animals that show a vicious streak, and that they should be put down HUMANLY. (I had to emphasize that, just as you did, because that is very important.) If the animal is injured and lashes out, or startled and lashes out, those might be some factors that need to be addressed on a case by cases bases of course, but if an animal is viscous and can not be trusted it should be euthanized. It certainly should not be allowed to roam free about the neighborhood. In fact, I don't think pets should be allowed to do so regardless of their demeanor. It isn't safe for them, as may have proved to be the case for poor Maximus. I even keep our cat indoors, and honestly think that in larger urban neighborhoods all people should, but many disagree with me. Disagreeing with me is certainly common enough. :P
I think that in this case, Maximus was probably the victim, but you are right to point out that there may have been other circumstances involved. Without catching the perpetrators and hearing their story it will probably be an answer we may never have. I doubt they will turn themselves in at this point...
I am terribly sorry that your granddaughter was bitten and that she carries the scars of such an event that I am sure traumatized her. I am also appalled that the neighbors dog still roams around with nary a care, and that this dogs owners weren't responsible pet owners. It has long been my opinion that it is those types of owners that create a lot of the problems, and in a lot of cases enable dog attacks by their inability to see a potential for the possibility of their dog biting. After all, any and all dogs will bite under the right circumstances. Those circumstances vary by dog, not always by breed. They simply need to feel threatened, and many times people don't realize what they are doing to make a dog feel threatened. Kids are even less likely to realize, and this is likely why they are the largest risk group.
I guess my point is this, people should be responsible pet owners or not get a pet. Keep them in your own yard and on your own property, or on a leash, and if you pet is an escape artist, you have to go to extreme measures to ensure that they remain within the safety of your home and yard. This is for their safety is some cases, and the safety of other people in others.
Oh, and the eye for an eye type comment came from my eight year old son. We have to fine tune some of his thinking over the years to come, but he is doing quite well for his age. If you had posed your question to him regarding the biting on the neck, he would have probably said yes because he is eight. You and I both know that with a dog this would have been hard to accomplish without getting mauled, and probably would have not been nearly as effective as other methods. His logic that I couldn't dispute wasn't regarding and eye for an eye, but that sometimes an eye for an eye was the only recourse. Does that make any more sense? I hope so...I am often not as clear as I would like to be.
And that, my friends, is the longest comment I have ever written on any blog. :)
So, many many years ago I was bitten by a dog. I was around 6-8 at the time. We were on a school thing for families - they gave directions out and you had to find your way to a local pub.
The kids were playing around in the car park and someone dared my brother to run through the back area of the pub - the one with the huge 'private' sign on it. He did. They had a dog that wasn't too happy about it's (don't know it's gender) personal area being invaded. It must have smelt my brother's scent, which I guess to a dog smells a bit like me - same family and all that.
So I'm playing tag or similar with some of my friends later on. I run down the car park between some parked cars and suddenly the dog jumps out between two of the cars and bites me on my side. Of course I started balling my eyes out and walk into the pub. I can just about manage to say I was bit and I pull up my shirt to reveal... nothing. No mark, no blood. At least for a fraction of a second until the blood started pouring out of my side. I guess my shirt had mopped it up. Or maybe as a kid things seemed different. But I remember for a moment wondering if I had imagined it all.
I hadn't though. I was bit by this dog (which 'had never done anything like this before' bla bla bla usual comments). I was temporarily bandaged up and my parents drove to the hospital where I got tetanus shots and a better bandage on it. Couldn't sleep on that side for weeks, which sucked as I liked sleeping on that side.
I don't know what type of dog bit me. Hell I didn't see it coming! I have some vague memory it may have been a golden retriever or a lab, but again that might just be a childs memory.
Even now, I don't like dogs. I really don't. I will tolerate some but that's about it. My wife's parents have a Pitt. I tolerate her (the dog that is, not the wife!) and have even been known to pet her a little on occasions. I'm not scared of her, I'm just wary of all dogs. The worst thing that she would ever do to me is break my toes (when she sat on them wanting me to pet her! She's heavy and has sat on my feet a few times).
One thing that helped me get over my fear of dogs was my best friend when I was a kid had a Rottweiler. Damn dog was so huge I remember one time I was walking down the stairs to go home and the dog put it's paws on my shoulders - and I was several stairs from the ground and the dog wasn't! That helped me stop raising my arms away from all dogs when I saw them (which is one of the worst responses you can have). I'm still wary around dogs until I've met them many times. Only now will I let my in-laws dog sit next to me without me having to keep an eye on her.
Well that's enough war and peace from me. This whole blog is turning into a quest for who can write the longest comment!
I will just end by saying that dogs (and cats and all pets), like children, get raised wrongly and they will hurt others. Raise them right and they will be fine. Blame the parents / owners though, not the kids / dogs.
You are correct Sunni, in that we will agree to disagree. I will try to keep this one short.
To summarize - I do agree with 99% of what you are saying, so that's not too bad. And I agree with e and j's closing comments about not blaming the dogs themselves. This is true for a number of reasons.
And to be fair, my neighbors with the dog, which attacked my granddaughter, have installed an invisible fence. It seems to work well. Some other neighbors though . . .
Better stop here. All in all, Sunni, you have a very good post here. Keep it up, as I enjoy reading this blog.
Cheers
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