The past few days of social media have been filled with anger and cries for justice for a poor dog that was abandoned outside the doors of the Greater Androscoggin Humane Society. The woman who was caught on surveillance video leaving the poor dog, Abby who died after being hit by a car three days later has been identified. She gave her account via radio interview, but the picture (taken just days before Abby was turned out to fend for herself) and posts that she made on Facebook the night she coldly dumped the dog off in a dark parking lot suggest a different story altogether.
I don't condone judging others, and in fact, I try to redirect thoughts of that nature whenever they rear their heads. This, however, is different. I'm not at the ready with a pitch fork in hand; I have no desire to taunt, intimidate or harass this person. All most of us who have followed the story want is justice for Abby. I'd go a bit further and suggest that any and all animals are removed from this woman's home and that she never be allowed to adopt an animal again.
Of all the reasons she gave for her actions, the most troubling were the claim that this dog was aggressive and bit her 19-month-old son in August of this past year. As a mother, if an animal had bitten my child, I would have surrendered it immediately, not kept it in the family another five months, and I certainly wouldn't have fed my newborn baby while sitting next to an animal I claimed to fear. That photo brought up two thoughts about this woman's character for me: one, she is immature and putting her children in harms way by having kept the dog, or two, she's lying. Either way, it is a long hard road ahead for someone like this.
Seeing photos of a new puppy would normally bring a smile to my face, but instead, I sat shaking my head in disgust. Three children under the age of two and even one dog are more than a handful, but add a puppy and we are talking non-stop chaos. Any parent and pet owner with an ounce of common sense can see that the older dog got the boot because a new, cute and cuddly pup was just more fun. Yes, my snarky Inner Brat did allow the thought 'let's hope that's not how it goes with the kids' to cross my mind.
I do not wish horrible things to befall this woman, despite the fact that her actions on Monday night led to the death of an innocent and likely heartbroken dog. I hope that she gets charged with an offense that fits her crime, and that she learns something from this experience about making the right choices in life, as well as finding a way to be a better person. Good people may make mistakes, but they don't treat another living creature like garbage.
No lack of education or intelligence is excuse enough to throw an animal away simply because they don't accessorize your life the same way babies and puppies do. It was a hateful act of animal cruelty and should be treated as such. But as angry as the public is on this, it is up to the DA to see that the appropriate charges are brought against her. Bullying and vilifying her, even threatening her is not justified. Be angry, by all means be upset for what Abby must have endured, but be bigger than the coward that couldn't be bothered to surrender that dog during business hours, or at the very least drop her next door at the all-night emergency animal hospital. My hope is that the outrage can be used for good, and benefit animals who are in need.
Volunteer your time, donate needed funds or adopt a loving fur friend who just wants a home and someone to love. Contact your local animal shelter and do something proactive. Do it in memory of all the mistreated and abused animals who didn't deserve a life of pain and sadness.
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