Dog's Worst Friend

As I mentioned yesterday, decisions, decisions.  There are so many to make.  Do I work on my next book, that probably no one will be interested in, or do I type out another one of these?  This one I feel is somewhat important, which is why I'm currently ignoring the book.  Writing, for me, is a way to reinforce a thought.  I've got a thought, or something to do, that I want to remember.  Just writing it down is a way to help remember it, even if I don't read it again.  I want to remind myself of something in particular. 
The title here is, of course, a flip on "man's best friend," which is what dogs are, and that's correct.  I love dogs.  They are fantastic.  I believe I mentioned that dogs are allowed to be in the store where I work, and that is, by far, the best thing about my job.  It is my goal to pet a dog every workday.  I recently petted 5 dogs in 1 day.  I think that was a personal record. 
I attached Michael Vick's photo to this, because he is infamous for being involved with dog fighting, which is an obvious example of dog cruelty.  By the way, he's an example of how "important" pro football is.  His crimes didn't stop him from playing again.  What other crimes haven't prevented players from playing pro football?  Assault (against men and women) and rape.  All animal cruelty is heinous and wrong, but when it is directed at pet animals, there is an additional problem.  Pet animals (dogs, cats, etc.) have learned to trust humans.  I've seen medieval paintings that depicted humans with dogs.  So these animals have had a relationship with people for hundreds, or even thousands, of years.  That's quite a long time to establish trust.  So the dog or cat trusts people, lets his or her defenses down with someone, and the person abuses that trust by maliciously harming the animal: horribly heinous.   
Humans are cruel to dogs in all sorts of ways.  They starve them.  They chain them to a small spot that they never get to leave.  They leave them outside in the cold.  They breed dogs.  No one should be bringing dogs, or cats, into the world.  There are tons of unwanted dogs and cats languishing in shelters.  Breeders betray these animals by bringing more dogs and cats into a world where they are not wanted.  The breeders ensure that shelter animals will have a harder time finding homes.  Puppies are cute, but I usually feel a tinge of sadness when I see one, because someone brought that puppy into a world that is already populated with many unwanted dogs.  Some people are only interested in puppies and not non-puppies.  These people are like biological parents: cruel and selfish. 
Unfortunately, I have witnessed dog cruelty in the store where I work.  Some people control the dogs that are with them extremely closely.  They are constantly watching, criticizing, and scolding them.  This is a form of cruelty.  I think it's possible these people have a fetish that has them needing to control living beings.  Perhaps they'd rather closely control people like that, but they can't find someone who'd submit to their control.  I've also seen people choking their dogs.  I saw a man walking a dog at my workplace, and he choke, choke, choked the dog repeatedly while walking him or her.  That's why I feel it's important for me to write this.  I wanted to say something to him, but I didn't.  I didn't want to get into trouble at work.  I let that dog down.  I'm hereby challenging myself to say something if I see something like that in the future.  I have confronted strangers while not at work, to protect animals, at least a few times.  I've told myself that I'm willing to get into fistfights over animal cruelty.  If that is what is required to protect an animal, then it is the right thing to do.  Fuck the law.  Laws were established to protect people: not animals.  There are a few laws that exist to protect pets, but not nearly enough.  "Food" animals, like pigs, cows, and chickens, have extremely little protection from laws, because many people have decided that their lives don't matter to them.  My life, certainly my job, is nothing compared to the massive issue of animal cruelty.  Animals can't call the police if they are the victims of cruelty.  They need people to help them. 
I hate animal abusers.  I only saw him do this one particular day, but I'll probably never forget it.  He was at the store where I work with a woman and a puppy.  The puppy was in a shopping cart.  He pulled the leash, which was attached to a collar around the puppy's neck, repeatedly.  Perhaps he enjoyed choking the puppy.  He has since returned to the store a number of times, but that's the only time I saw him bring the puppy.  The last time I saw him, he had a few kids with him: not surprising.  Animal cruelty, which includes purchasing meat, goes with biological parenthood (It's cruel to bring people into a fucked-up world.) like peanut butter and jelly.           

Jack & Berkeley

Jack & Berkeley are my friends.  They are also my friend's cats.  I love them.  They make life better.  Pets can extend the lives of people who take care of them.  Petting, and cuddling with, them has therapeutic value.
Berkeley is more outgoing than Jack.  It took me a while to get to know Jack.  Every time I visited my friend's house, for the longest time, he would hide from me the whole time I was there.  Eventually, he came around.  He scares easily.   We continue to have breakthroughs.  Just as I had done several times before, I spent the night on my friend's couch in his house.  But, this time, Jack slept on top of my lower legs.  Jack's a big cat; he's overweight.  But even though I was uncomfortable, I was happy to have him there.
Berkeley is cute too.  One time, he lied on the couch in a way that made a perfect pillow for me.  I just had to put my head (gently) toward the couch, and it would land on Berkeley.  He didn't mind being my pillow for a while. 
It's a shame people love their pets so much, but eat meat, and, by doing so, show they don't care about the animals they're eating.  If only people could imagine their cat or dog in place of the chicken, cow, pig, or turkey that had his of her life taken so they could eat whatever they want for lunch.  We're in control.  Humans are the strong, and animals are the weak.  Animals love it when we treat them well.  It's a real shame that we treat so many of them so cruelly.

Start Caring

Viva las groundhogs!

It's so clear that most people don't care about animals beyond pets.  God forbid they control what they eat, if they did, then we might cease to be a nation where most of the citizens are overweight.  When you eat meat, in many cases, not only do you not care about the animals you're eating, you also don't care about your own health.  Things are completely backward.  People would rather be fat and unhealthy than stop eating meat and improve their health.
As one of the minority of people that loves all the animals, including mice and rats, I feel the need to voice my opinion.  I believe that animals should have the same rights as we do when it comes to freedom and protection from being beaten and killed.  People like me will never be content until it's a crime to attack any animal.
If you can't quit eating meat, first of all, you're weak.  Second of all, if you eat meat and you're fat, then you deserve to be fat.  Thirdly, if you eat meat, and you've gotten heart disease or cancer, then it's possible that you deserve it.  There are exceptions.  I would not say such things about disabled people and children.  But if you eat meat, then you are actively supporting cruelty to animals, and you deserve whatever bad karma is coming to you.
Here are examples of places of evil: butcher shops, steakhouses, and fur shops.  I hope that all businesses that profit off the exploitation of animals will go out of business as soon as possible.
I'm anti-violence.  As long as murder is against the law, it would \make sense that war is illegal as well.  Killing is killing.  We'll give Johnny a medal because he killed a bunch of Arabs in the Middle East.  But when Johnny comes home with PTSD and kills his family, that's where we draw the line.  I've never owned a gun, and I plan to never own one.  I bet the odds of getting a chance to successfully use a gun to shoot an intruder in your home are astronomical.  But people say this is why they need guns.  People who own guns are much more likely to shoot themselves: either accidentally or on purpose.
Every single day, an incredible amount of violence and cruelty is inflicted upon countless animals by people.  It's gotten to the point where I don't bother bugs in my home.  If you feel the need to kill every bug you see in your home, then you may be a real coward.  I'm not afraid of bugs.  Why are you?  There are exceptions.  I have seen spiders, then gone online to see if they were dangerous.  I knew a guy who was badly hurt by a brown recluse spider bite.  So as long as the bugs aren't potentially dangerous, I will not hurt them.

Bumpkin's Plan

A young Bumpkin grazing with her mommy: Sheila

It's a devious plan indeed.  It's diabolical.  The casualties will be enormous; many people will die when Bumpkin finally makes her move to wrest control of the world from the humans.
"I'll attack Canada first," declared Bumpkin.  "That place is so freaking cold that I'll be doing them a favor by putting them out of their misery.  That place is fit for neither groundhog nor beastie.  Who says I don't have a heart?"
"That's nice of you, Bumpkin.  It is a God-forsaken land during winter.  You might want to toast Minnesota and Maine with your fireballs for the same reasons; it can get really cold in those states."
"Don't try to tell me what to do!  I know all about that anyway, buster!  I watch the weather channel."
"I'm sorry, Bumpkin.  You're right.  It's your war: not mine."
"Darn right, mister!  It's my war!  And I suggest you try to remain on the right side of it."
"Yes, ma'am.  I know you will kill as many humans as you need to in order to win.  And killing people is as easy as pie for you."
"Easy as pie?  How does that make sense?"
"Well, it's just an expression that people say.  It's means it's easy."
"What's so easy about pie?  That's what I'm asking."
"I don't know."
"Then stop saying that, dummy."
"Yes, ma'am."
"Where was I?  Oh yeah.  After I attack Canada, I'll launch many super-sized fireballs that will kill humans anywhere and everywhere, but harm no animals.  I want to let the humans know that the whole world is under attack, and there is no safe harbor."
"Good idea, mistress Bumpkin."
"You're darn tootin' mister."
"Then what?"
"Then I'll get on TV, and tell the humans how they can avoid further bloodshed."
"How can they do that/"
"By surrendering, butthead."
"Of course.  What if they don't surrender?"
"I'll kill as many people in Switzerland as possible while not harming animals."
"They're neutral."
"I know."
"Good idea, Bumpkin.  Annihilate a neutral country; that will have them thinking."
"Of course.  Believe me, I know what I'm freaking doing."