casablanca1
12-04-2006, 12:21 PM
I came across a news story about a dog being attacked and killed (by a GSD and a Golden, so no need to start a pit bull slanging match) in DC.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/10429727/detail.html
And I was frustrated with this line from the article, which is fairly typical of articles about dog-on-dog attacks:
Adam Parascandola with the D.C. Humane Society said owners can call out to other owners before they get close and ask if their dog is friendly. "Ask them to try and get control of their dog so the dogs can meet in a controlled environment," Parascandola said.
Now, we always say our dogs are our family, we love them differently than our parents' generation, we spend more on them, we take them to the vet and treat them like children or nearly. But - can you imagine the above line in an article about, say, a child being attacked by a pedophile in a park? If there was no reference to a police investigation, no quotes from the parks department on how they'll address the issue, no sad statements about violence in our society, nothing but this little lame offering
"Jim Smith with the DC police department said parents can call out to pedophiles before they get close, and ask if they could try to get control of themselves, so child and pedophile could meet in a controlled setting."
Now, I recognize there are differences in the situations. My point is that for all the talk about how much we love our pets, there's a disconnect between the sentiment that pets are family, and the reality that, in every way that matters, pets are still property, and crimes against them are treated by police and reporters with the same bored indifference of someone stuck covering the case of a stolen bicycle.
http://www.nbc4.com/news/10429727/detail.html
And I was frustrated with this line from the article, which is fairly typical of articles about dog-on-dog attacks:
Adam Parascandola with the D.C. Humane Society said owners can call out to other owners before they get close and ask if their dog is friendly. "Ask them to try and get control of their dog so the dogs can meet in a controlled environment," Parascandola said.
Now, we always say our dogs are our family, we love them differently than our parents' generation, we spend more on them, we take them to the vet and treat them like children or nearly. But - can you imagine the above line in an article about, say, a child being attacked by a pedophile in a park? If there was no reference to a police investigation, no quotes from the parks department on how they'll address the issue, no sad statements about violence in our society, nothing but this little lame offering
"Jim Smith with the DC police department said parents can call out to pedophiles before they get close, and ask if they could try to get control of themselves, so child and pedophile could meet in a controlled setting."
Now, I recognize there are differences in the situations. My point is that for all the talk about how much we love our pets, there's a disconnect between the sentiment that pets are family, and the reality that, in every way that matters, pets are still property, and crimes against them are treated by police and reporters with the same bored indifference of someone stuck covering the case of a stolen bicycle.