Thursday, April 16, 2015

Top of the Fold

The Journal is beginning to look more and more like a local TV newscast.  A case in point is a major front page story today on a strangled dog.  Pictures and everything.  The poor dog was caught up in domestic problems and died for it.  But, front page news?  And people on the comment page of this story are calling for the woman who killed the pooch to be strangled also.  Insanity!

We have been pet owners our whole lives.  We are currently into our cats but I keep thinking about getting another dog.  They are so needy but so rewarding.  We felt with all the travel we do it would be best to wait to get another one after our beloved Beagles died.  Still, I wish we had one.  People just love them.  Our neighborhood alert system over the last few days revolved around a homeless Pomeranian dog found wandering the neighborhood.  Someone rescued it and found out it had heart problems.  A big effort was made and it was taken in by an organization helping with such cases.  If that dog had been a homeless person wandering the streets the police would have been notified.

Maybe that is why TV and now Newspapers spend so much time on animal issues.  Because that is obviously what folks care about.  It is a good thing really, but like everything we need to keep it in perspective.

I recently reread "Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke.  When aliens surround our planet in massive space ships to help us move to the next level of evolution, the first thing they look at to see if we might be ready is how we treat other species on our planet.  The book was written in the early 1950's and demonstrates that many people have always thought about animal welfare.  I am just saying we need to show as much concern for the poor and homeless as well.

P.S. I am looking forward to the SciFi channel's miniseries of "Childhood's End" in December.  It is said to be very good.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've wondered if our connections to our pets has something to do with our inability to connect to each other.

Anonymous said...

It must have been a slow day for news. No idea why stories about dogs, cats, horses, llamas, grace the pages of newspapers. This country is going to hell.

Donald F Schiff said...

Cats don't have owners; they have staff!

Anonymous said...

NO!!!!!!!

Anonymous said...

I too am a pet owner and my concern is with the city administration that will do nothing to the boss of animal service but allows one whistle blower to leave and will probably transfer the other. Bet you won't see anymore in the journal about this mgr. and her incompetence but that's the Berry way. Blame the messenger and give a raise to the culprit. Oh I forgot the city is broke give her two raises!!