Blood Boiling And Yet Cold

Sick little bastards.

    Horrible children.


(Not as serious, I guess, but I once saw a 15-year-old boy who thought it was funny to dribble a basketball next to a baby bird that obviously couldn't fly yet.  Each time the ball bounced, the bird would hop away, and the boy would just bounce the ball as close to it as possible again.  You can guess what happened next.  The boy just walked away from the crushed bird a minute later.)

What gives with these nasty teenage boys??  Most of the homicides in the major cities have both victims and killers that are male and < 24 years old.  Where's the respect for other living creatures?

We had a dog a few years back that we had rescued from an abusive situation. At the time we had no idea how badly abused she must have been, or how badly scarred she was as a result.

She was a very sweet, loving, and gentle dog, but she was also skittish and unpredictable. Weird things would set her off, and we very seldom knew what or why. If I ever approached her wearing a ball cap or dark sunglasses, she would find the nearest piece of furniture and hide behind it, shaking. The sound of loud trucks approaching would send her into a state of total panic, causing her to become destructive (we lost a couch, several pillows, a couple of large patches of carpet...). If I ever raised my voice, for any reason, she'd urinate and collapse in an almost epileptic state.

We had her for a few years, trying several different techniques to help rehabilitate her. Finally we had to put her on anti-psychotic medication, which worked for a while but after about 6 months she was back to the same. Eventually she began to deteriorate to the point of being so unpredictable we couldn't do anything to control her. She became very physically aggressive towards Monte, to the point of which he was becoming frightened of her (he still has scars on his ears and lips).

It became very clear that she was too far gone for us to do anything and we finally ended up putting her down, for her own good. While I held her in my arms as she breathed her final breaths, I sobbed like I hadn't in my entire adult life. I remember thinking that if I ever again encountered the man who made her like this I doubted I'd be able to control my rage.

The idea that a person, or group of people, is capable of treating an animal this way makes my physically ill. The idea that it's likely a first offense and will probably be written off simply as a case of "boys being boys" makes me angry. The fact that things like this go on much more frequently than we see them in the news, and yet there's still debate over whether animal abuse should be treated like a violent crime, makes me worry about the state of humanity.

Some people just don't get it. They have become numb. Could it be tv or movies? I don't want to lay any blame. I know while I grew up I burned ants with a magnifying lens. Do I think I valued life? Probably not until I was in the Navy and faced my own mortality. There were a couple instances that I could have died but did not. I know what that feels like and I can respect other's lives.

After I got out of the Navy I had to have a dog put to sleep. Hardest thing I had to do, and I only had him 3 months.

That is a very interesting question. I would think a little of both. Humans are animals after all so I am sure there is some part in all of us that is "wild" and prone to violence. Most of us can control it. These boys probably experienced things that allow that rage to come out.

But I think I am stating the obvious.

Alright, I had to look it up.  Happy now?

  lol