REVERSE JUSTICE
Recently, a man in the Winchester, Virginia area telephoned his wife at work to tell her their dog had bitten him and that he was going to kill the pet.
The method he chose was,it seems,to beat the dog to death which proved to be a poor choice, and he never got a chance to change. Not too confident,it seems he took his double-barreled shotgun along when he went into the main room of his trailer home to finish off his version of Man's best Friend turned sour.
To those who saw his body hours later, it seemed that he had hit the dog several times, one blow with such force that the heavy, plastic stock of the gun broke right at the point where the safety mechanism was located. He was holding it by the barrel end. A full shotgun charge when through his lower left abdomen and that was the end of his part of the fight.
Examinations indicated that the fight was over for the dog as well,. There were mo indications that the dog continued the battle once his opponent had fallen. The SPCA took the thirty-pound Shar-pei in for routine tests such as that for rabies and to treat his wounds The autopsy said the man died from the gunshot wound not from any dog attack.
The curious thing about this tragic situation is that wherever I have mentioned it or heard people talking about it, the sentiment seemed to be decidedly one-sided... and in favor of the dog. “Hm! Served him right!...“Good! Last dog he'll beat on for awhile.”
A man was killed and it will be called an accident. He had shown poor judgment in many ways and most people seem to have little sympathy for him. He was beating a dog, too which ,to many Americans is simply something people do not do on a whim or as a pleasurable thing.
There are other factors to the story which are not being talked about which deserve some special attention. One account I read cited dog authorites as saying the Shar-lei breed was one not readily adaptable to family living and certainly not to limited trailer or mobile home living quarters. The breed has been the source of stubborn, highly self-protective dog for hunting and for dog fighting. Experienced dog owners advice against Shar-lei as a pet under anything.
It may be that an incident such as this serve to caution many potential dog owners to choose with care and to be absolutely sure that you can adequately provide for the dog's comfort, ease, overall well-being and special tendencies. Some must also learn that a dog is not piece of furniture to be kicked around or discarded if the styles change or if you tire of seem them around A dog become a member of the family to which it is attached It's a two-way relationship as well.
A.L.M.. January 25, 2003 [c495wds]
