Within the last 2 weeks there have been 2 local instances of animal cruelty: 1) a dog was lured by neighbors into their car. It’s on video. Also on video is their returning him home; opened the door, he comes limping and stumbling out having been shot several times.
2) Another story about two men who were shooting a caged dog. Let me repeat – the dog was in a cage while they were shooting at it.
Now I have two dogs – as many of you know: Big Guy and Little Guy also known as Bret and Pico. I think about them often. They are compliant, satisfied, adaptive. They accept their lives as well as their bodies. They are who they are, we are who we are.
Pico had a torn muscle in his leg. He didn’t whine. He walked on 3 legs. He lives inside his head. He doesn’t think about his body (well, except when he’s had a bad haircut which makes him hide under the bed). If he sees something he goes after it. He doesn’t think about his leg.
And Bret – such an active puppy. Now he’s polite, asks for things (in his English setter way of touching me with his cold nose). When we sleep, he sleeps. When we go outside he goes outside.
They both accept this as their life. Whatever I am, whomever I am, they are with me. We move as one up and down the stairs, inside and outside. If there’s a sudden noise – we all look at each other. Our eyes meet. What was that? We have thoughts we share.
My ‘guys’ aren’t things. They are creatures with brains and sensitivity. They come to be petted, they lick a hurt I might have. They cuddle.
The lurer in story 1 says he can’t wait to tell his ‘side’ of the story. How can he have a side that would explain hurting and shooting a dog after luring him into his car? How can he think he has a ‘side’ to tell?
I feel sickened by the stories. I have no sympathy for the human beings. I have anger. I need to get this off my chest.
I’ve been away from the blog for a bit. I had a mitral valve replaced in my heart and am 8 weeks this side of the surgery. I am so happy to have a properly functioning heart and to return (though gradually) to my former life but in better shape. There will be more about that.
But I wanted to let you know that one of our activities is going over to our neighbor’s deck (or our neighbor coming over to ours) to have a glass of wine and watch the sun set. Since the wine includes cheese, Big Guy and Little Guy celebrate the activity with dancing and rolling about the grass. Once they tire of the reverie they pull up a chair to the table watching the sun with us. Or, sometimes, they join in the social nature of the conversation.
Husband began a conversation with an introduction to Henry James which immediately sparked up Big Guy’s ears. He had to have a say. His remarks were amazingly appropriate. Appropriate enough that I share them with you. Enjoy!
Pico is 11 this year – a Coton de Tulear (cotton dog from the Tulear region of Madagascar) and, also, Royal Dog of Madagascar.
11 years ago I was a tad lonely (I was diagnosed with ms & no longer teaching at the university). Home alone and went searching for a dog who 1) would not be big enough to pull me over; 2) didn’t require a lot of exercise for his well-being; 3) did not provoke allergic responses in moi; 4)was a good ‘partner’; 5) easy to groom.
I plugged these requirements into a site called pets4u.com (still exists!) wherein a person looking for a pet could be matched with the pet.
I was matched with Pico. His breed was rare in the US and owners maintained a ‘club’ profile fearing that AKC recognition would promote breeding and a dog of perfect health would be bred into a dog with not so perfect health.
Here are a few other sites I find entertaining and informational regarding Pico (who once had his own website but gave it up – I may tell him about blogging but have been keeping him away from the computer for fear he’d discover it himself)
"Just Sayin'" As an expression is most often used at the end of a rant or at the end of a suggestion ameliorating a hot pitch with a shrug and an I don't care. Of course the speaker cares but in the span of life she'd rather point out the issue than make a life's crusade out of it. Not that a life's crusade couldn't be merited and not that the thing itself isn't a real pita but, really, one has to move on. "Just sayin'"
Within the last 2 weeks there have been 2 local instances of animal cruelty: 1) a dog was lured by neighbors into their car. It’s on video. Also on video is their returning him home; opened the door, he comes limping and stumbling out having been shot several times.
Enjoy!
