Wednesday, April 25, 2012

BSL: Shame Of The Human Race

Coco, our pit bull mix whose love & loyalty will never be forgotten

                                                             
    It never ceases to amaze me how cruel and ignorant human beings can be.  There is much debate over Breed Specific Laws and the truth is, BSL should not exist.  For the entire existence of humans we have found ways to discriminate, using that discrimination as a reason for killing. From belief in religion to the color of a person's skin, it all has led to ridiculous amounts of suffering and loss.  Now the human race has decided to target animals, not just one type of animal but an entire "race" of animals, with the intent to wipe them off the face of the Earth.  What happened?  Did y'all get bored with killing other humans for stupid reasons?  I may be a human but I cannot say I am proud to be.  The disgusting need to destroy anything and everything is a serious human flaw.  We, as a race, are destroying our planet, destroying each other, and destroying other living beings who cannot defend themselves.  We as humans have less "humanity" than those animals we are killing.  What or who will be the next target once all bully breeds are wiped out?  Will it be your darling Labrador or Poodle?  Will it be your cat because his fur is black?  Oh, wait, your cat's ancestors were already the target of the Pilgrims, anyone caught owning one was thought to be evil and would be punished or killed.  What about our children?  Will they someday be a target of hate due to their eye/hair color or weight?   When does the vicious cycle end?

    I'm sure this will be met with much scrutiny, but, two of my own children have been bitten by other people's dogs (my youngest daughter and youngest son) and my oldest daughter was scratched on the face, leaving a scar, by a dog in a pet store.  Not a single one of those incidents involved a bully breed.  The pet store dog was a Dalmatian, the dog who bit my youngest daughter was a Jack Russel mix and the dog who bit my youngest son was a Wire Haired Terrier mix.  Myself and my children have had many wonderful relationships with bully breeds, including our own treasured pit bull mix of four years, and never once has there been a problem.  The only dog I have had living in my home that I had a problem with was not a bully breed but an Akita/Coonhound mix.  If any animal of any breed is mistreated, neglected or mishandled it will have issues.  We as humans are responsible for the behavior of our animals.  If you abuse or neglect your dog or do not train and socialize the animal you greatly increase your chance that the dog will develop behavioral problems.  It is the same scenario with humans, if a child is abused, neglected or not taught how to be a good person the chances that the child will become an adult criminal increase as opposed to a child who had a healthy upbringing.  The simple fact is ANY living being has the potential to become a killer, human or animal.

    To see the terror and confusion in an animal's eyes when they are about to be euthanized is something that scars the soul of anyone who truly has one.  How people can impose such atrocities on any other living thing, especially without valid reason is appalling.  How many innocent animals must suffer and die because a few had an improper upbringing?  To do this is the equivalent of saying every high school student should be punished for the tragedy of Columbine since it was a high school student who did that.

    I believe it is the lack of knowledge, the quickness to overreact and the lack of common sense which runs rampant in a large number of humans that has allowed this to happen, just as it has done countless times before in our history.  I would love to believe that someday humans will evolve and learn from the wrongs of the past but the truth is, in all the time Humans have inhabited this planet, we have not come very far.  All you need to do is watch the news once and it becomes blatantly clear........we are still the most dangerous, deadly and arrogant of all living things on this planet.

    This is my own opinion but I felt a great need for it to be heard.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

When Our World Stops Turning

                                                                 


    When someone we love dies, our world comes to a halt.  It seems only right that the rest of the world stops too, but that's not the way it is.  As family and friends grieve for the one they have lost, the rest of the world goes on around them, happily unscathed and it feels so unfair...unfair that someone was taken away, unfair that the entire world doesn't share in this great loss. But, I think the fact that loss doesn't effect everyone is a prompt for the bereaved to go on with their lives, to not spend the rest of their days grieving, to let their own lives pay homage to the one that has gone.


    A beautiful woman, full of life, was laid to rest yesterday. She loved life, loved her family, loved her friends...but most of all, she was LOVED, loved so deeply that the loss of her seems unbearable. Her inner light shown so brightly that one could not help but feel it. To see her children, husband and family so tenderly comfort each other during this difficult time, trying to understand why it happened and how they could possibly live without her, is a testament to all that she was. She passed her love of family on to her children and it will live on in her grandchildren. Though she was taken far too soon, she will live on in every person who's life she has touched, in every conversation had over a cup of coffee, in every moment of laughter, in every act of kindness passed, in every memory of her life retold. Her loved ones may not be able to hold her again but they can hold tight to their memories and the knowledge that they were all blessed to be part of her life. Her light did not go out, it was dispersed to every person touched by it, inspiring us all to be better, to do better, to leave a path of love and light for those who will someday grieve for us. 


    In tribute and memory of Deb


                                                                photo by Daniel Krepsky