Dear SoupFriends,
Greetings from the SoupMan!
Today's blog is not about the homeless. It's about a puppy. If you've been following the news in Dallas recently you've heard how a group of young men set a little puppy on fire and then laughed hilariously as the terrified puppy ran for safety.
For the last week animal rescue people and veterinarians have worked feverishly to save the life of the puppy they named Justice. Unfortunately the puppy died. The vet said that at the end, as she was with the puppy, he was still trying to wag his tail as he drew his last breath. I don't know about you but this just rips my heart out. And to be truthful my blood boils just a bit as I think of the cruelty of the young men who set the dog on fire.
What kind of people would set a dog on fire and then laugh hysterically as the puppy ran for his life? What kind of people could stoop to this level of depravity? Hard questions, to be sure. I think an appropriate question is how important is one puppy's life in the grand scheme of life? After all, human beings are dying every day.
Am I saying a puppy’s life is more important than a human being’s? Not exactly. What I am saying is that how we treat animals is a sign of the human condition. The Bible says that God created us in his image and likeness. I know beyond any doubt that God is not smiling about young men setting a puppy on fire. By any measure, what they did was savage and heartless.
So now the question is, where do we go from here? Can any good come out of this unspeakable act? Perhaps it can. A $25,000 reward has already been put up by the SPCA through Crime Stoppers to bring the men involved to justice. Basically they are seeking justice for a puppy name Justice. And while an element of vengeance may be a motivating factor, that's really not what this is all about. It's really about accountability. As a society we need to send a message out loud and clear that this kind of behavior is not okay.
Mistreatment of animals is not right, it’s not something to be laughed about, and most important, it’s not to be tolerated. Bringing these young men to justice will not bring the puppy back but perhaps it will save the lives of puppies down the road. On a deeper level perhaps bringing them to justice for killing a puppy may prevent them from doing something worse down the line.
At the SoupMobile we are not new to this issue of caring for animals.
My wife Shana is a longtime animal activist and leads a team at the SoupMobile that feeds the dogs that belong to the homeless people we serve. Yes, the homeless have dogs as pets just like you and I do. And for a homeless person who has nothing, a faithful dog can be everything!
We are not seeking vengeance but we are seeking accountability. More important, we are praying that the message will go out loud and clear that cruelty to animals is not a laughing matter.
p.s. Breaking News! 18 year old Dallas man accused of setting Justice the puppy on fire has turned himself in to police and is being held on bail of $100,000 at Dallas County Jail.
May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours,
Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Greetings from the SoupMan!
Today's blog is not about the homeless. It's about a puppy. If you've been following the news in Dallas recently you've heard how a group of young men set a little puppy on fire and then laughed hilariously as the terrified puppy ran for safety.
For the last week animal rescue people and veterinarians have worked feverishly to save the life of the puppy they named Justice. Unfortunately the puppy died. The vet said that at the end, as she was with the puppy, he was still trying to wag his tail as he drew his last breath. I don't know about you but this just rips my heart out. And to be truthful my blood boils just a bit as I think of the cruelty of the young men who set the dog on fire. What kind of people would set a dog on fire and then laugh hysterically as the puppy ran for his life? What kind of people could stoop to this level of depravity? Hard questions, to be sure. I think an appropriate question is how important is one puppy's life in the grand scheme of life? After all, human beings are dying every day.
Am I saying a puppy’s life is more important than a human being’s? Not exactly. What I am saying is that how we treat animals is a sign of the human condition. The Bible says that God created us in his image and likeness. I know beyond any doubt that God is not smiling about young men setting a puppy on fire. By any measure, what they did was savage and heartless.
So now the question is, where do we go from here? Can any good come out of this unspeakable act? Perhaps it can. A $25,000 reward has already been put up by the SPCA through Crime Stoppers to bring the men involved to justice. Basically they are seeking justice for a puppy name Justice. And while an element of vengeance may be a motivating factor, that's really not what this is all about. It's really about accountability. As a society we need to send a message out loud and clear that this kind of behavior is not okay.
Mistreatment of animals is not right, it’s not something to be laughed about, and most important, it’s not to be tolerated. Bringing these young men to justice will not bring the puppy back but perhaps it will save the lives of puppies down the road. On a deeper level perhaps bringing them to justice for killing a puppy may prevent them from doing something worse down the line.
At the SoupMobile we are not new to this issue of caring for animals.
My wife Shana is a longtime animal activist and leads a team at the SoupMobile that feeds the dogs that belong to the homeless people we serve. Yes, the homeless have dogs as pets just like you and I do. And for a homeless person who has nothing, a faithful dog can be everything! We are not seeking vengeance but we are seeking accountability. More important, we are praying that the message will go out loud and clear that cruelty to animals is not a laughing matter.
p.s. Breaking News! 18 year old Dallas man accused of setting Justice the puppy on fire has turned himself in to police and is being held on bail of $100,000 at Dallas County Jail.
May the Lord Bless & Keep You & Yours,
Signed, David Timothy, a.k.a. The SoupMan
Such a good Blog entry, David!! It is so true that "accountability" in our lives and way of thinking is so important and if more of us would consider this when making decisions we would avoid hurting ourselves....and others!
ReplyDelete