Why Dogs Matter
I just had a run-in with a woman at the local dollar store. I had left my dog in the car with the windows rolled up for all of about 2 to 3 minutes. As I was leaving the store she was in the middle of calling some authority. Which one? That I don't know. When I tried to explain that I was in the store for a very short time, she angrily said “Would you leave your child in a hot car?” I answered “No.” I tried to assure her that my dog, which I love dearly, was in no distress, as I had the AC blasting all the way back from the dog park, and the temperature was still cooler inside the car than outside. She wasn't buying it. To her, this was animal abuse. When I suggested that she could stick her head inside the car to see that the temperature was probably ten degrees cooler than outside, she wasn't having that, either.
Now, I don't believe that she was just a busy-body inserting herself where she didn't belong. She was clearly concerned. And, at some level, I don't blame her. But, there were extenuating circumstances. Once this became a confrontation, with tempers flaring, however, it became something else, a symbolic event paralleling all of the children and animals left to die in hot cars—and I was the living symbol of it all, standing right there in front of her. At that point rationality quickly gave way to anger, with me yelling “Mind your own business lady” at a considerable volume. For her, I think that she saw herself as a good citizen. I understand, I've felt the same way at times, wanting to punch some schmuck for treating his dog badly, at least as far as I could tell, he was.
In my own defense I suppose I could have yelled “Listen lady, passion is no substitute for reason!” But, admittedly, if you think some cute little dog is dying right in front of you, it's hard not to be passionate, especially if you love dogs. That is the finite nature of human experience. We're forced to make quick decisions that may effect others because we perceive that something worth being passionate about, is at stake. It's why “Black Lives Matter.” It's why selling dead baby parts matters. It's why reasonable people argue, almost to the point of coming to blows (or war) when they are ardent supporters of a particular cause.
That leads me to a final point (if there is one) watch what you say and do. Be patient and get all the facts first, not just the ones that reinforce what you/we/me wish to believe. If an incident this innocuous can so easily create conflict, what about those where everything is at stake? Israel and Iran for instance. America and radical Islam for another. It is one thing to love animals (and I do.) It is another, to have your life, your families life, your whole culture at risk, waiting for the next move of some potential madman as he points a gun or a bomb directly at their head. It takes a person with a cooler temperament than mine to deal with these things, that's for sure.
So, with a little distance from my not-so-epic confrontation with this young lady, I realize that she cared enough about the safety of my beloved little dog to intervene—and that was admirable—even if she was a bit quick on the draw. In the end, I certainly, was no better. Let's hope our leaders are better still.
Mark Magula
Now, I don't believe that she was just a busy-body inserting herself where she didn't belong. She was clearly concerned. And, at some level, I don't blame her. But, there were extenuating circumstances. Once this became a confrontation, with tempers flaring, however, it became something else, a symbolic event paralleling all of the children and animals left to die in hot cars—and I was the living symbol of it all, standing right there in front of her. At that point rationality quickly gave way to anger, with me yelling “Mind your own business lady” at a considerable volume. For her, I think that she saw herself as a good citizen. I understand, I've felt the same way at times, wanting to punch some schmuck for treating his dog badly, at least as far as I could tell, he was.
In my own defense I suppose I could have yelled “Listen lady, passion is no substitute for reason!” But, admittedly, if you think some cute little dog is dying right in front of you, it's hard not to be passionate, especially if you love dogs. That is the finite nature of human experience. We're forced to make quick decisions that may effect others because we perceive that something worth being passionate about, is at stake. It's why “Black Lives Matter.” It's why selling dead baby parts matters. It's why reasonable people argue, almost to the point of coming to blows (or war) when they are ardent supporters of a particular cause.
That leads me to a final point (if there is one) watch what you say and do. Be patient and get all the facts first, not just the ones that reinforce what you/we/me wish to believe. If an incident this innocuous can so easily create conflict, what about those where everything is at stake? Israel and Iran for instance. America and radical Islam for another. It is one thing to love animals (and I do.) It is another, to have your life, your families life, your whole culture at risk, waiting for the next move of some potential madman as he points a gun or a bomb directly at their head. It takes a person with a cooler temperament than mine to deal with these things, that's for sure.
So, with a little distance from my not-so-epic confrontation with this young lady, I realize that she cared enough about the safety of my beloved little dog to intervene—and that was admirable—even if she was a bit quick on the draw. In the end, I certainly, was no better. Let's hope our leaders are better still.
Mark Magula
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