I watched mesmerized from my office window the other afternoon. Passing by was a pick-em up truck with the toolbox in the rear doing about 30 miles per hour or better and on the toolbox on back stood presumably the beloved dog of the good-ole-boy behind the wheel.
He wasn’t strapped into a crate or held firmly by a harness, no, he was just riding up there at the mercy of the driving skills of his master. The words that come to mind are stupid and cruel but mostly just stupid. Bubba had a windshield in front of him and a truck body around him; hell, he may have even had on his seatbelt, just so he wouldn’t get a ticket, but still … he was pretty safely locked into his vehicle.
His dog, however, was blissfully trusting his master not to throw him into the road by turning too sharply or stopping or accelerating too quickly. It is sad when the trust pets give is broken. I have listened to the inane argument “but he wants to ride there.” So does a 2-year-old, but I doubt that argument would go anywhere.
I have had acquaintances whom I believe to be intelligent and decent people who think nothing of putting their dogs in the bed of their truck and rolling out of the driveway into city traffic. Let’s start with the metal bed of a pickup truck in the hot Mississippi sun as a pleasant place to be. Dogs have pretty thick pads on their feet, but heat can go through your shoes and so too the dog’s pads. They are also blessed with a fur coat to wear in that exposed environment.
Speaking of fur coats, how about those guys who decide to go jogging at high noon with their dog in tow? The human jogger has stripped down to shorts, but his faithful companion, is still in his fur coat for the summer exercise program. They will go with you until they can’t go any more and then they will keep on because you want them to.
Now let’s get to the part about tossing the dog around the bed of the truck while weaving through city traffic. We aren’t in the hay fields anymore and the first place he lands will be on the pavement, probably under the car behind or beside you. Even if you are cavalier about the dog, how about the unintended consequences for that innocent driver?
If I am the victim of this unhappy scenario, I will be swerving to miss the dog and probably running into the car next to me or the pedestrian on the sidewalk or a telephone pole. When I wake up from being hit by my airbag, I will probably hunt you down like the negligent ***##** you are and sue you penniless.
There are responsible pet ownership rules. It’s simple — not easy, but simple. Get them spayed or neutered, feed them decent food and clean water, give them a clean and dry place to sleep, a place to play and your affection. If you don’t plan on doing those things then ask yourself why you are getting a pet in the first place?
The Old Testament provides man with dominion and control over the animals. Dominion and control is not synonymous with negligence and cruelty. It implies responsibility and humanity. It is time that we put societal pressure on for that result.
I recently had a tenant, who for the purposes of this article shall remain nameless, who had three dogs and two cats. When she moved out, she told her next door neighbor she was going to just release the cats into a neighborhood somewhere. Fortunately, the neighbor took the cats to the Humane Society. It is not the best end to the story, but it is a better one than what the owner had planned.
We have wonderful animal control officers here in Starkville. They have kind hearts and do a remarkable job under difficult conditions. I know I wouldn’t last a day in that role without being in some pet owner’s face about his/her animal and summarily getting hauled off to jail. If you know of someone abusing an animal or see one loose, call the government information line, 311 or 911.
I have scooped up too many injured and lost animals to believe we don’t need a reminder of what it means to be a caretaker of the environment and those who inhabit it. Human decency doesn’t stop with humans.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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