Mish-Mash

Trying to give a befriended homeless man some type of security and a sense of love, someone, two months ago, gave the man a Beagle puppy. The man named the puppy Vicious, and last month when the temperatures dropped so much, the man and puppy were offered shelter in the apartment of a friend. The puppy turned four months old last week; it was his last birthday. Being a puppy, he chewed on things, growled and barked - he was being a puppy and exploring this new world and trying to find his limits. He chewed on a charger for a cellular telephone last week, and then barked at a few inanimate objects in the apartment. The owner decided to teach the puppy a lesson. He taped its mouth shut and locked it in the bathroom. Vicious, the puppy, died from asphyxiation. The owner is being prosecuted for animal cruelty resulting in death.

I tried, yesterday, to investigate the attack on Remy that happened on Sunday afternoon. The lady of the house stated that one of her children must have left a door open, allowing the dogs to get out. Yes, there were two dogs. One returned to the house door when Nancy and Joel started yelling, but the pit bull went first for Remy's throat. The dog made a second attack on Remy's throat, and then started to attack Remy's hind legs, trying to sever the hamstring and cripple him. This house has three sets of lever-handled French doors on the front, besides the regular main entrance; there is at least one door that opens into the attached 3-car garage; and I presume there are also doors into the backyard. I do not know how many children the couple have other than a newborn - but I tried to explain why the neighborhood would be concerned. There are over 100 people who walk their dogs on a daily basis through the Githens Acres area; there are "kids", ranging in age from teens to newborns, scattered around, as well as a few elderly folk with medical problems who cannot move quickly; there are dogs who know their yard limits and do not go out of them, but will protect their homes; there are cats that live in the neighborhood and visit a diverse area on their wanderings; and there is all of the wildlife: fox families, skunks, raccoons, deer, bears and mountain lions. My only purpose in this is to assure that the entire area is safe for everyone who lives there, who walks there, and who loves the quiet beauty of the whole area. The lady said she would "try to keep the doors locked and closed." That's all I can do for now.