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About a week ago, I saw a guy hit his dog. It was a little puggle-type thing, and I didn't see what it could have done to make this guy mad. There was a lot of yelling and an open-handed smack on the dog's back. He kept jerking on its leash until the poor thing just froze up and stood there looking scared.
I was walking my dog at the time, and as we got close enough for me to say something, his dog started staring at my dog. I was afraid his dog would come after mine and then get in even more trouble, so I hurried by as fast as I could.
I don't believe what he did was legally abuse, but it was certainly not very nice and a terrible way of communicating with his pet. I keep wondering how that dog is doing and how miserable it must be living with that jerk. I'm ashamed of myself that I didn't make an effort to educate this guy.
I was talking about this with my roommate and I said that even if I'd just yelled, "Hey! Don't hit your dog!" maybe the guy would at least stop hitting the dog in public. My roommate said, "Yeah, and maybe he would've gone home and beat the dog harder for getting him in trouble."
I can't think of anything I could have said that wouldn't have put him on the defensive. IME, once you put people on the defensive, they stop listening. So, any suggestions? Hopefully I won't run into this situation again but if I do I'd like to be able to make a difference in the dog's life.
-------------------- I can't put my arms down! Posts: 273 | From: California | Registered: Feb 2006
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I would report it anyway. Animal control or whoever is in charge of that sort of thing in your area may consider that abuse, and even if they don't it will at least be on file so if anyone else complains, the authorities may see a pattern and realize it's an ongoing thing...
-------------------- Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes. That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes. Posts: 2110 | From: Chicago, IL | Registered: Jul 2000
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I'd call the police on him, and tell him that if he tried to leave before they arrived, he'd get a kick that would mean that if he intends to ever have children, he'd have to consider adoption. I may not be very strong or a good fighter, but I'm tall and if I try, I can look pretty intimidating, and this seems like as good a reason as any to do some intimidating. Besides, even if he hit me, it would just put him in deeper shit.
-------------------- /Troberg Posts: 4360 | From: Borlänge, Sweden | Registered: Nov 2005
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Having worked at an animal shelter, I doubt it would go over as official abuse. Most agencies are overburdened with starvation and abandonment, and a guy who hits his dog would not be a priority.
I remember one time seeing a guy outside the shelter hitting his chihuahua with a leash. In my staff shirt, and risking being fired, I said, "Hey a-----e, you're beating your dog in front of an animal shelter, and by an expressway -- the dog is trying to escape you, and would run into traffic if he could. Do you consider yourself a good pet owner?" The guy gave me a blank look. One of the cruelty investigators did happen to walk by, and saw the altercation. She just told him there were better ways to train a dog, and he told he it was HIS dog, and not her business.
The point is that animal cruelty laws are usually lame, and only helpful in cases of severe neglect or abuse. To people who love their pets, even shelter workers, people who strike their animals suck. I witnessed just how hard it was to confiscate a pet, and most shelters can't adopt out most of the animals they have. Until all of society treats domestic animals better, an animal getting struck is low on the totem pole.
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