How Could You? - Page 2

**Lzen** · 02-13-2007, 02:23 PM

How Could You?
By Jim Willis 2001

When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I "was bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent, and roll me over for a belly rub.

My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day.

Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried
to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy.

Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love."

As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their
worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway.

There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf.

Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness.

You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers."

You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash
with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too.

After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?"

They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream ... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited.

I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room.
A blissfully quiet room.

She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her.

The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay
down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?"

Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her.
It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever.

May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty.

The End....

A note from the author...

If "How Could You?" brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly owned pets who die each year in American and Canadian animal shelters. Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a noncommercial purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice. Please use it to help educate, on websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious.

Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.

Simply Red · 02-13-2007, 03:42 PM

If I ever won the Big Lotto and that's a big if, I'd rescue dogs and find them homes.

Because well, I have a big heart and besides I'd feel obligated to give back to the community because I'd be so effing loaded I would feel guilty to just endulge.

ChiefaRoo · 02-13-2007, 04:09 PM

Why is it that some people have more of an affinity towards animals than they do with people? I'd like to ask a shrink about why some people feel that way.

crazycoffey · 02-13-2007, 04:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefaRoo

Why is it that some people have more of an affinity towards animals than they do with people? I'd like to ask a shrink about why some people feel that way.

I know, I don't get it. I mean I love animals, have had dogs before and now my wife and I got a cat (I know), and it's sad it is that there are lots of animals being treated cruely.
I just hope that if some of these animal rights group members had a choice the would still choose to save a human before an animal. Sadly, most times I think I would be wrong......

siberian khatru · 02-13-2007, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefaRoo

Why is it that some people have more of an affinity towards animals than they do with people? I'd like to ask a shrink about why some people feel that way.

This may help answer the question:

http://www.slate.com/id/2158654?nav=ais

Why People Love Dogs
It's more complicated than you think.
By Jon Katz
Updated Monday, Feb. 12, 2007, at 7:17 AM ET

My friend and fellow dog lover Edie, an occupational therapist in Massachusetts, has been looking for a mate for nearly 10 years. She finally thought she'd found one in Jeff, a nice guy, generous and funny, who teaches high school. They dated for several months, and just as there was talk about a future, it occurred to Edie that Jeff hadn't really bonded with her yellow Lab, Sophie. In fact, as she thought more about it, she wasn't sure Jeff was a dog guy at all.

She confronted him about this at dinner one night, and he confessed, in some anguish, that he didn't love Sophie, didn't love dogs in general, never had.

They broke up the next week. More accurately, she dumped him. "What can I say?" Edie told me, somewhat defensively. "Sophie has been there for me, day in and day out, for years. I can't say the same of men. She's my girl, my baby. Sooner or later, it would have ended."

Having just spent two months on a book tour talking to dog lovers across the country, I can testify that this story isn't unusual. The lesson Edie gleaned, she says, was that she should have asked about Sophie first, not last.

In America, we love our dogs. A lot. So much that we rarely wonder why anymore.

This, perhaps, is why God created academics.

John Archer, a psychologist at the University of Central Lancashire, has been puzzling for some time over why people love their pets. In evolutionary terms, love for dogs and other pets "poses a problem," he writes. Being attached to animals is not, strictly speaking, necessary for human health and welfare. True, studies show that people with pets live a bit longer and have better blood pressure than benighted nonowners, but in the literal sense, we don't really need all those dogs and cats to survive.

Archer's alternative Darwinian theory: Pets manipulate the same instincts and responses that have evolved to facilitate human relationships, "primarily (but not exclusively) those between parent and child."

No wonder Edie ditched Jeff. She was about to marry the evil stepfather, somebody who wasn't crazy about her true child.

Or, to look at it from the opposite direction, Archer suggests, "consider the possibility that pets are, in evolutionary terms, manipulating human responses, that they are the equivalent of social parasites." Social parasites inject themselves into the social systems of other species and thrive there. Dogs are masters at that. They show a range of emotions—love, anxiety, curiosity—and thus trick us into thinking they possess the full range of human feelings.

They dance with joy when we come home, put their heads on our knees and stare longingly into our eyes. Ah, we think, at last, the love and loyalty we so richly deserve and so rarely receive. Over thousands of years of living with humans, dogs have become wily and transfixing sidekicks with the particularly appealing characteristic of being unable to speak. We are therefore free to fill in the blanks with what we need to hear. (What the dog may really be telling us, much of the time, is, "Feed me.")

As Archer dryly puts it, "Continuing features of the interaction with the pet prove satisfying for the owner."

It's a good deal for the pets, too, since we respond by spending lavishly on organic treats and high-quality health care.

Psychologist Brian Hare of Harvard has also studied the human-animal bond and reports that dogs are astonishingly skilled at reading humans' patterns of social behavior, especially behaviors related to food and care. They figure out our moods and what makes us happy, what moves us. Then they act accordingly, and we tell ourselves that they're crazy about us.

"It appears that dogs have evolved specialized skills for reading human social and communicative behavior," Hare concludes, which is why dogs live so much better than moles.

These are interesting theories. Raccoons and squirrels don't show recognizable human emotions, nor do they trigger our nurturing ("She's my baby") impulses. So, they don't (usually) move into our houses, get their photos taken with Santa, or even get names. Thousands of rescue workers aren't standing by to move them lovingly from one home to another.

If the dog's love is just an evolutionary trick, does that diminish it? I don't think so. Dogs have figured out how to insinuate themselves into human society in ways that benefit us both. We get affection and attention. They get the same, plus food, shelter, and protection. To grasp this exchange doesn't trivialize our love, it explains it.

I'm enveloped by dog love, myself. Izzy, a border collie who spent the first four years of his life running along a small square of fencing on a nearby farm, is lying under my desk at the moment, his head resting on my boot.

Rose, my working dog, is curled into a tight ball in the crate to my left. Emma, the newcomer who spent six years inside the same fence as Izzy, prefers the newly re-upholstered antique chair. Plagued with health problems, she likes to be near the wood stove in the winter.

When I stir to make tea, answer the door, or stretch my legs, all three dogs move with me. I see them peering out from behind the kitchen table or pantry door, awaiting instructions, as border collies do. If I return to the computer, they resume their previous positions, with stealth and agility. If I analyzed it coldly, I would admit that they're probably alert to see if an outdoor romp is in the offing, or some sheepherding, or some beef jerky. But I'd rather think they can't bear to let me out of their sight.

Jon Katz is the author of A Good Dog: The Story of Orson, Who Changed My Life. He can be e-mailed at jdkat3@aol.com.

**Nzoner** · 02-13-2007, 04:20 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefaRoo

Why is it that some people have more of an affinity towards animals than they do with people? I'd like to ask a shrink about why some people feel that way.

I'm no shrink but I've had dogs my entire life and they are loyal to no end,they've never lied to me,tried to fock me over,borrowed money and not repaid it,etc. they're called man's best friend for a reason.

Don't get me wrong I don't hate people but I've met more than a few in my days that would rather have me spending time with my dogs.

Rooster · 02-13-2007, 04:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by siberian khatru

This may help answer the question:

http://www.slate.com/id/2158654?nav=ais

Why People Love Dogs
It's more complicated than you think.
By Jon Katz

That was an interesting article. Thanks

Skyy God · 02-13-2007, 04:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by angel

you know what else breaks my heart?
That new commercial for pedigree with all the cute dogs in the shelters.

My g/f says the same thing. I think I saw it a few times while watching Puppy Bowl 3. Sad.

What didn't break my heart, however, was taking my worthless cat to the pound earlier this year. After taking in his disagreeable homeless ass, he was a royal pain. The final straw was when he pissed on my parent's picture right in front of me.

BIG_DADDY · 02-13-2007, 04:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChiefaRoo

Why is it that some people have more of an affinity towards animals than they do with people? I'd like to ask a shrink about why some people feel that way.

Because there are so many people who are POS, that's why. Dogs are awesome. I would never be with anyone that wasn't a dog person, period.

BIG_DADDY · 02-13-2007, 04:48 PM

One more thing. In a situation like this there is absolutely no excuse for not finding your dog a new home. It takes almost no effort. I've found homes for over 20 lost and abandoned animals. I can't imagine having a great dog and just bringing him to the pound to die. It would take just as much effort to post on craigslist or the newspaper or something. Probably less. Those that just leave their dogs when they move to starve to death should just be put down.

BIG_DADDY · 02-13-2007, 05:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

"I grab a dog...and I CHOKE him! I kick the shit out of him!"

"That's my pleaaaaaaaaaaasure!"

Yea, well if you did that in front of me I'd make sure that every day you looked in the mirror you would remember what a gutless cur you are.

HonestChieffan · 02-13-2007, 05:52 PM

In the end what was the alternative?

Clearly the dog was not as important to that owner as some dogs are to their owners. That doesnt make them bad people. They just have different values.

Not everyone wants to tak a grown dog off someonelses hands.

I live in the country and I would say on a monthly basis a neighbor within one mile from me in any direction has to take care of a dumped dog with a rifle shot. People abandon dogs and cats all the time when they can drive a 45 min drive into the country. I know of two dumped pits that were shot by a farmer neighbor in the last 60 days. My dog stays home and does not roam. Roaming dogs in a calving pasture in this country are called "targets". Cattle and calves are a mans living.

Is it better for the pound to end an unfortunate situation? Or better to dump one alone in the country where it will have to become a problem to survive? Or do the people move with the animal only to have it put down where they move to?

Its too easy to pen this sort of garbage and elicit this emotional out pouring. In the end, the dog was well treated.

**Saulbadguy** · 02-13-2007, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BIG_DADDY

Yea, well if you did that in front of me I'd make sure that every day you looked in the mirror you would remember what a gutless cur you are.

It's a quote off a movie, tard.

BIG_DADDY · 02-14-2007, 11:01 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HonestChieffan

In the end what was the alternative?

Clearly the dog was not as important to that owner as some dogs are to their owners. That doesnt make them bad people. They just have different values.

Not everyone wants to tak a grown dog off someonelses hands.

I live in the country and I would say on a monthly basis a neighbor within one mile from me in any direction has to take care of a dumped dog with a rifle shot. People abandon dogs and cats all the time when they can drive a 45 min drive into the country. I know of two dumped pits that were shot by a farmer neighbor in the last 60 days. My dog stays home and does not roam. Roaming dogs in a calving pasture in this country are called "targets". Cattle and calves are a mans living.

Is it better for the pound to end an unfortunate situation? Or better to dump one alone in the country where it will have to become a problem to survive? Or do the people move with the animal only to have it put down where they move to?

Its too easy to pen this sort of garbage and elicit this emotional out pouring. In the end, the dog was well treated.

OK Mr. Country I've lived way out there before and the only dogs we had issues with were wild ones. Naturally you are dealing with abandoned pits, why doesn't that surprise me?

Any stray dog messing with livestock would be shot. That's what were talking about here. Also living way out in the country many have outside dogs that would not make good pets anyway and need to be put down for various reasons. That being said NONE of what you posted had anything to do with this story at all. Even the most hard core here like MO would most likely tell you if he liked a dog enough to make it a house dog he would at least make some effort to try and find it a new home. A good dog is different than any other animal. It will put it's life on the line for you and love you like no other animal in the world. For that reason alone IMO a good dog has earned the right to be treated a little different than all the rest of the animals. In this case it was even worse. He took his kids dog they loved and didn't take any time to find it a good home. It's not hard at all. I could take any decent dog on a street corner here and put up a sign that says free to a good loving home and have the animal placed within and hour then let the kids see it went to a good place. I guess the kids freaking doesn't mean anything to you either. Frankly dealing with them and their legitimate beef is going to be 10x more difficult than it would have been to just place the dog.

BIG_DADDY · 02-14-2007, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Saulbadguy

It's a quote off a movie, tard.

I'm not a movie buff. I guess that makes me a tard in your book. That's cool.

Eleazar · 02-14-2007, 11:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nzoner

I'm no shrink but I've had dogs my entire life and they are loyal to no end,they've never lied to me,tried to fock me over,borrowed money and not repaid it,etc. they're called man's best friend for a reason.

Exactly!

02-13-2007, 02:23 PM
Lzen Banded Join Date: Feb 2001 Location: Oz Casino cash: $-529308	How Could You? How Could You? By Jim Willis 2001 When I was a puppy, I entertained you with my antics and made you laugh. You called me your child, and despite a number of chewed shoes and a couple of murdered throw pillows, I became your best friend. Whenever I "was bad," you'd shake your finger at me and ask "How could you?" -- but then you'd relent, and roll me over for a belly rub. My housebreaking took a little longer than expected, because you were terribly busy, but we worked on that together. I remember those nights of nuzzling you in bed and listening to your confidences and secret dreams, and I believed that life could not be any more perfect. We went for long walks and runs in the park, car rides, stops for ice cream (I only got the cone because "ice cream is bad for dogs," you said), and I took long naps in the sun waiting for you to come home at the end of the day. Gradually, you began spending more time at work and on your career, and more time searching for a human mate. I waited for you patiently, comforted you through heartbreaks and disappointments, never chided you about bad decisions, and romped with glee at your homecomings, and when you fell in love. She, now your wife, is not a "dog person" -- still I welcomed her into our home, tried to show her affection, and obeyed her. I was happy because you were happy. Then the human babies came along and I shared your excitement. I was fascinated by their pinkness, how they smelled, and I wanted to mother them, too. Only she and you worried that I might hurt them, and I spent most of my time banished to another room, or to a dog crate. Oh, how I wanted to love them, but I became a "prisoner of love." As they began to grow, I became their friend. They clung to my fur and pulled themselves up on wobbly legs, poked fingers in my eyes, investigated my ears, and gave me kisses on my nose. I loved everything about them and their touch -- because your touch was now so infrequent -- and I would have defended them with my life if need be. I would sneak into their beds and listen to their worries and secret dreams, and together we waited for the sound of your car in the driveway. There had been a time, when others asked you if you had a dog, that you produced a photo of me from your wallet and told them stories about me. These past few years, you just answered "yes" and changed the subject. I had gone from being "your dog" to "just a dog," and you resented every expenditure on my behalf. Now, you have a new career opportunity in another city, and you and they will be moving to an apartment that does not allow pets. You've made the right decision for your "family," but there was a time when I was your only family. I was excited about the car ride until we arrived at the animal shelter. It smelled of dogs and cats, of fear, of hopelessness. You filled out the paperwork and said "I know you will find a good home for her." They shrugged and gave you a pained look. They understand the realities facing a middle-aged dog, even one with "papers." You had to pry your son's fingers loose from my collar as he screamed "No, Daddy! Please don't let them take my dog!" And I worried for him, and what lessons you had just taught him about friendship and loyalty, about love and responsibility, and about respect for all life. You gave me a good-bye pat on the head, avoided my eyes, and politely refused to take my collar and leash with you. You had a deadline to meet and now I have one, too. After you left, the two nice ladies said you probably knew about your upcoming move months ago and made no attempt to find me another good home. They shook their heads and asked "How could you?" They are as attentive to us here in the shelter as their busy schedules allow. They feed us, of course, but I lost my appetite days ago. At first, whenever anyone passed my pen, I rushed to the front, hoping it was you that you had changed your mind -- that this was all a bad dream ... or I hoped it would at least be someone who cared, anyone who might save me. When I realized I could not compete with the frolicking for attention of happy puppies, oblivious to their own fate, I retreated to a far corner and waited. I heard her footsteps as she came for me at the end of the day, and I padded along the aisle after her to a separate room. A blissfully quiet room. She placed me on the table and rubbed my ears, and told me not to worry. My heart pounded in anticipation of what was to come, but there was also a sense of relief. The prisoner of love had run out of days. As is my nature, I was more concerned about her. The burden which she bears weighs heavily on her, and I know that, the same way I knew your every mood. She gently placed a tourniquet around my foreleg as a tear ran down her cheek. I licked her hand in the same way I used to comfort you so many years ago. She expertly slid the hypodermic needle into my vein. As I felt the sting and the cool liquid coursing through my body, I lay down sleepily, looked into her kind eyes and murmured "How could you?" Perhaps because she understood my dog speak, she said "I'm so sorry." She hugged me, and hurriedly explained it was her job to make sure I went to a better place, where I wouldn't be ignored or abused or abandoned, or have to fend for myself -- a place of love and light so very different from this earthly place. And with my last bit of energy, I tried to convey to her with a thump of my tail that my "How could you?" was not directed at her. It was you, My Beloved Master, I was thinking of. I will think of you and wait for you forever. May everyone in your life continue to show you so much loyalty. The End.... A note from the author... If "How Could You?" brought tears to your eyes as you read it, as it did to mine as I wrote it, it is because it is the composite story of the millions of formerly owned pets who die each year in American and Canadian animal shelters. Anyone is welcome to distribute the essay for a noncommercial purpose, as long as it is properly attributed with the copyright notice. Please use it to help educate, on websites, in newsletters, on animal shelter and vet office bulletin boards. Tell the public that the decision to add a pet to the family is an important one for life, that animals deserve our love and sensible care, that finding another appropriate home for your animal is your responsibility and any local humane society or animal welfare league can offer you good advice, and that all life is precious. Please do your part to stop the killing, and encourage all spay & neuter campaigns in order to prevent unwanted animals.
Posts: 42,460

02-13-2007, 03:42 PM	#16
Simply Red You Sweetie! Join Date: Sep 2005 Casino cash: $2021206219 VARSITY	If I ever won the Big Lotto and that's a big if, I'd rescue dogs and find them homes. Because well, I have a big heart and besides I'd feel obligated to give back to the community because I'd be so effing loaded I would feel guilty to just endulge.
Posts: 71,691

02-13-2007, 04:09 PM	#17
ChiefaRoo MVP Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Austin,TX Casino cash: $3937505	Why is it that some people have more of an affinity towards animals than they do with people? I'd like to ask a shrink about why some people feel that way.
Posts: 11,953

02-13-2007, 04:48 PM	#24
BIG_DADDY THE RED MENACE Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: Texas Casino cash: $2568410	One more thing. In a situation like this there is absolutely no excuse for not finding your dog a new home. It takes almost no effort. I've found homes for over 20 lost and abandoned animals. I can't imagine having a great dog and just bringing him to the pound to die. It would take just as much effort to post on craigslist or the newspaper or something. Probably less. Those that just leave their dogs when they move to starve to death should just be put down. __________________ The diabolical genius of Marxism-Socialism is that it provides the emotional and intellectual road map for autocrats to persuade millions of people to support their own enslavement to government. ~Mark Levin April 15, 2019
Posts: 32,522

02-13-2007, 05:52 PM	#26
HonestChieffan Seeking the Truth daily Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: In the Country in MO Casino cash: $-1405691	In the end what was the alternative? Clearly the dog was not as important to that owner as some dogs are to their owners. That doesnt make them bad people. They just have different values. Not everyone wants to tak a grown dog off someonelses hands. I live in the country and I would say on a monthly basis a neighbor within one mile from me in any direction has to take care of a dumped dog with a rifle shot. People abandon dogs and cats all the time when they can drive a 45 min drive into the country. I know of two dumped pits that were shot by a farmer neighbor in the last 60 days. My dog stays home and does not roam. Roaming dogs in a calving pasture in this country are called "targets". Cattle and calves are a mans living. Is it better for the pound to end an unfortunate situation? Or better to dump one alone in the country where it will have to become a problem to survive? Or do the people move with the animal only to have it put down where they move to? Its too easy to pen this sort of garbage and elicit this emotional out pouring. In the end, the dog was well treated. __________________ "We read books for knowledge; We read the Bible for wisdom!"
Posts: 54,749