What I’m…
DOING
Perching high up in a tree in the woods, dry leaves swirling around me like confetti. The branches form an uncomfortable V around my butt, but this particular perch gives an incredible panoramic view of the forest.
Photo: Sylver Blaque
I love writing & watching wildlife from up here – for as long as my butt can take it!
No wildlife-watching today, however. Have the goobies with me. 🙂
Mally‘s jumping around & up in the air, trying to catch swirling leaves. But MegaDeath is yowling back at the wind, as if to say, “Yes, Mother Nature, I hear you. Now hear THIS!”
Nope, no wildlife-watching with the goobies around! 🙄
Photo: Sylver Blaque / Mally & MegaDeath
Have 2 other foster-goobies this week: Apache & Soldier. They’re twins (well, 2 of sextups, actually), the only survivors of a murderous ex-owner who killed their siblings, one by one.
.
WONDERING
How can anyone with a heart kick an animal to death? fight an animal to death? stick a funnel down an animal’s throat & drown it with bottles of beer? That’s what Apache & Soldier’s owner did.
These 2 babies were saved…but so was their homicidal owner – by a court system that only shakes a finger at sadistic animal killers.
What is wrong with our society, that our legal system does not recognize those who take pleasure in abusing & murdering animals as the dangerous human monsters that they are?
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CONTEMPLATING
There was a time in our not-so-distant history when our courts shook the same benign finger at husbands who abused & killed their wives. Because we regarded women as man’s pet, pretty much. Women were property, their fates decided by men. A sad, oppressive state of patriarchy still in practice today.
Women fought for more humane treatment from men – a fight not yet won.
But animals can’t fight for their right to humane treatment…
.
What do you think it says about a society that allows the abuse of animals?
Or is it a human right to subjugate animals?
.
Sylver Blaque 
This post takes me back to an incident at happened near me several years ago. A small gang of sad and pathetic teenage boys took a puppy up to the top of a tall building and dropped it over the side. Sadly it wasn’t killed instantly and had to be put to sleep by a vet. I can remember that they were arrested by the police eventually but I’m not sure what happened to them in end but similar cases have attracted very small custodial sentences.
My view is fairly strait forward but maybe controversial. We need to return in this country to corporal punishment in instances like this. I know it goes against the grain of the ‘eye for an eye’ quote I recently posted but I feel that nasty bullies need an incentive to think more carefully about carrying out actions like this.
You are absolutely right Sylver about the courts needing to recognise some people for what they are. A dentist here recently got 8 years imprisonment for stealing a few hundred thousand from the national health service. The message? Steal property or money and the law will deal with you robustly but abuse and kill an animal and you’ll be out in a few weeks, if you go to prison at all.
The problem is, even more controversially, that we are all conditioned to think of animal life as unimportant because we live on production line animal slaughter. A lot of the meat on sale in the shops has been bred, reared, kept in overcrowded and cramped prison like conditions and then taken to slaughter to satisfy human desires for its flesh. Killing animals to wear their fur is fortunately less popular than it used to be but i cant see that much difference in killing one to eat its meat? (told you this would be controversial!) its presented to us in nice clean neat looking packages in the supermarket so as not to make us feel too squeemish. I don’t feed this to my children. My daughter has a cuddly lamb she sleeps with it at night. I won’t be feeding her the flesh of a real dead one the next day.
A great quote I saw recently by Paul Macartney, “if slaughterhouses had glass walls we’d all be vegetarians”
Anyway Sylver, as you can see I have far to much time on my hands today!! 🙂
My God! That story stopped my heart! 😦 You hit the nail on the head about our conditioning of animal life as inconsequential. And I’m with you on the reasoning differences for killing animals. I especially applaud the example you’re modeling for your daughter – bravo! SO glad you had extra time on your hands today to share this wonderfully enlightening comment. There is much to learn & contemplate as we consider our role as stewards of animal life. Power over another does not have to translate into their destruction…
It says a great deal about what we are NOT. So much for all our ideals and extra evolutionary brain power…
Exactly, Alarna! This big brain of our needs to extend to include justice for ALL forms of life…
The picture of Micheal Vick stung. You want to believe that someone can regret their bad actions, pay their debt to society and rejoin the human race – but I can’t get over the dogs. Animal abuse and child abuse. Those two really push my button.
I so agree! Animals & children NEED our protection – they are the easiest of victims & cannot protect themselves from our ‘superior’ forms of subjugation. We have the same buttons, you & I!
Animal abuse makes me so unbelievably angry. Drowning puppies with beer? Are you serious? Who even thinks of that? The punishments are NOT harsh enough. I do think it’s better than it used to be (as sometimes the abusers do wind up with jail time) but never enough. Never enough. Thank you for saving the the others. I was at a fundraiser for Angels of Animals the other night–a rescue organization. Thank God there are people who care enough about this cause.
Exactly, Katie – never enough! 😡 We need an ALU (Animal Lovers United) like the ACLU or something. I love that you take time out to attend fundraisers in support of animals – you rok, girl! 🙂
Thank you SB for taking in the two remaining kids this butcher left alive. You know how I feel on this subject (I’ve had the three goldens again for over a week and there’s a smile all over their and Gracie’s face). I wish I could keep them permanently – I’d do so in a heartbeat.
Our treatment of animals is at approximately the same level in which we treated the slaves before emancipation. Obviously, we have a long way to go. A very long way.
And I was disturbed to hear that Michael Vick has acquired a dog, “to teach his family the importance of taking care of a pet in a responsible way.” Makes you wonder – and worry for the dog they have adopted.
The Goldens are blessed to have you & Gracie as a loving second family. 🙂 And yes, sadly, the comparison of our modern day treatment of animals with slavery is apropos. Though many of us love & respect animals, our legal system has yet to demonstrate this in cases of those who treat animals as slaves. Michael Vick having another dog is a perfect example: do we allow child murderers to have more children? 😐
Oh my! sad to hear about your fosters. Powerful post.
Thank you, Nifti. They’re doing great, giddy with joy to be away from monsters & on their way to a permanent, loving home – together 🙂 which I’m thrilled about. I hate seeing siblings separated!
wonderful!
Oof! So glad to hear that Apache and Soldier are now safe and with YOU.
Why oh why do certain humans cause such pain to those they SHOULD love and protect?
I hope that we are moving towards a society that WILL NOT ALLOW this sort of abuse of animals. But as you say… the road is long.
Don’t lose heart.
Thank you for caring for Apache and Soldier.
Thank you, Pam, for pointing out that we humans should love & protect animals. We have been appointed their stewards, and as such, have a moral duty to care for rather than abuse them. You, obviously, have a beautiful heart! 🙂