if you want to live high, live high and if you want to live low, live low

i tried googling pictures of abused dogs for this particular update, but after nearly losing my lunch: i quit. i took a nap on the couch earlier with my living room window open. i heard the array of after school annoyance from the kids bustling across the street. some brat was screaming VERY loudly at shadow to go home. so, after i heard the second yelp, i got up. a minute later, i looked out my window and this child was literally beating her puppy in my front yard. screaming in her face, stomping her ribs HARD, and pulling her tail. i started screaming at the top of my lungs before i realized it. when she heard me and realized the gibberash i was hurling at her. the reply i got was "no, no. it's okay. mama told us we could do that. she lost her collar and we're supposed to do that if we can't get her to come home." i *almost* called animal control, but it's 7:30 at night and i don't know if they'd come out this late. i tried explaining to the 60 pound child that if you openly beat a german shepherd in front of other children, the next child who doesn't live with this dog will think it's okay if they get mad and is going to wind up missing a hand. literally. or god forbid, they beat THEIR dog when they get mad. only THEIR dog may be a 1 1/2 pound chihuahua and they may break every bone in their body.

seriously?? do people seriously tell their kids it's okay to stomp their dogs as hard as they please?? what fucking year is this?? am i THAT far into redneckville that THIS is the shit i have to see when i look in my own front yard?? it's pathetic. the saddest part is, since the mother condoned it, the child will never understand what's so wrong about it and will teach her brood one day to do the same.

so, Shadow was all splayed out on the ground, terrified to move. i went out there and picked her up. turns out even at 8 months old, those dogs are heavy. hoo. goodness. i carried her home for her sake. my pocket book's awful tight this week, but i'm tempted to run to wal*mart tonight to buy this pup a harness. she said she's too strong for the collar they had her on and kept breaking it so now they put her on a choke collar when they tie her outside.

my heart broke a little inside. why do people even buy dogs?? i just don't understand.